


It Had To Be You

by baeconandeggs, flower_girl



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha Chanyeol, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Baekhyun, Wolf!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 14:41:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14771601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/flower_girl/pseuds/flower_girl
Summary: One of the things he loves the most is swimming in the river separating his pack’s territory from the rival one’s. There he meets ‘him’; developing unexpected feelings for a wolf he should hate.





	It Had To Be You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [llubia14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/llubia14/gifts).



> **Recipient:** llubia14  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
>  
> 
> **Author's Note: This is my first time participating in BAE and I picked this up as a pinch-hitter so I hope that it turned out okay! To my lovely recipient, I really hope this fic is what you’re looking for! I had a lot of fun writing it and I really could do so much more with it if time wasn’t an issue. Lots of love and thanks to the mods for being so helpful and organized! And also a big thanks to R for beta-ing for me and helping me finish this fic!**

It’s early April when the head alpha of the West Sun pack is gifted with his first litter of pups. There are four little bundles of fur nestled against his mate’s side, blind and deaf but suckling away hungrily and whining occasionally. He greets his mate with comforting licks across the male omega’s snout and curls himself around the smaller male and the four pups. They’re all roughly the same size and the alpha hums in content.

“We should name them,” his mate turns his head and nuzzles against his neck. The alpha looks down at the first pup, fur the color of the granite that the lies by the river.

“Minseok,” he decides with a smile. The next pup is a rusty red-brown, perfect for blending in with trunks of the trees in their parts of the forest.

“Baekhyun,” he hums, taking note that the pup is a bit more enthusiastic than his brothers. Next to Baekhyun is a deep, chocolate brown pup who has already stopped suckling and is sleeping with a full belly. This one will be named Jongin. The last pup is a sandy blonde color, matching the shade of the wheat fields that they have in their territory. The alpha decides to name him Sehun.

“They’re all perfect,” his mate sighs as he tucks the pups closer against him for more warmth. Winter had lasted into very late March that year and the snow was just beginning to melt but a cold chill still passed by every once in a while. The alpha couldn’t help but agree that yes, all his pups were perfect.

Across the river during the same moon cycle, the head alpha of the East Moon pack is gifted with his first litter of pups too. His female omega smells distraught though as he bursts into their hut. There are three pups curled into her side, one of them still slick with blood and afterbirth. The alpha begins to pale because throughout the entire pregnancy, the midwife had told them that there had been four heartbeats in his omega’s womb.

His eyes quickly seek out the midwife who’s standing in the corner and vigorously rubbing something in between her two human palms. He shifts himself and walks over hesitantly, afraid of what he’ll see. She looks at him with sadness in her eyes and hands over the smallest pup that he has ever seen in his life. The rest of his pups’ lengths would span from the tip of his fingers to his wrist but this pup looks like it would barely fit in one of his palms. They have a runt in the litter. The runt is a soft gray colored with flecks of white fur interspersed. He’s not as warm as a newborn pup should be.

The alpha can’t give up on his son yet though and he tries to bring more life back into the pup, rubbing his tiny body in between his palms to stimulate his heart. His efforts are not wasted because moments later, the little guy begins to suckle at air and stretches out the tiniest paw. The alpha quickly brings the pup over to his mother and sets him down gently away from his bigger brothers. The pup latches on and begins to feed and his mother lets out a relieved sigh. His father shifts and then watches, making sure that the others won’t roll over him and hurt him.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” the midwife tells them as she leaves to dump the bucket of dirty water and rags. It sounds cynical but they know she’s trying to be realistic. She had seen nearly all the births of the younger generations of wolves in their pack.

“He’s the smallest that I’ve ever seen,” she says, pausing to look at the runt for a moment longer. “He is weak and will get sick easily. There is a spring snow storm coming,” she points to the ceiling of the hut towards the sky. “The sudden cold will not be good for him. He will most likely not survive.”

The alpha wants to bite words back at her but he holds his tongue because he knows that what she says holds some truth.

“You have three other healthy pups,” she points out. “Losing one is not the end of the world.” With those final words she leaves and the alpha turns back to look at his omega, who has tears in her beautiful eyes.

“I want to name him,” she says, her delicate voice trembling.

“You can,” he gives her permission. She had been so excited to finally be pregnant with pups. It had been difficult for them to conceive and when they had found out they would be parents to four, they had been over the moon happy. Yes they still had three, but losing the one did seem to be the end of the word.

“Chanyeol,” she says without hesitation.

“Chanyeol?” the alpha questions at the odd name.

“ _Fruitful one_ ,” she whispers and he finally understands the play on words. She wants him to survive.

 

As the years pass in the Sun Pack, Baekhyun grows to be the strongest out of his brothers. He opens his eyes first and learns how to stumble around their hut first. He’s a little rough with his brothers, always pouncing on them and nipping their ears and necks. Anytime Sehun cries, it’s usually Baekhyun’s fault, and Minseok, the oldest, always has to thump Baekhyun on the head to calm his excited energy down. With Baekhyun, the head alpha sees the makings of a future head alpha. The pup is brave and charismatic, naturally charming all the elders in the pack with his witty and curious statements.

“Baekhyun is mean,” Sehun pouts as he crosses his arms over his naked belly. He’s sitting on a stump in the middle of the pack square and only his legs are covered in a pair of shorts. It’s the middle of summer and it’s super hot out. Baekhyun had decided to cool his brothers down by dumping a bucket of ice over their backs.

“Baekhyun is sorry,” Baekhyun addresses himself in the third person as he kneels in front of his sensitive brother and pats his knees.

“Why don’t we go to the river today?” Joohyun, their primary babysitter asks. She’s their omega father’s youngest sister and had been tasked with watching the four pups when their parents were busy.

“The river?” Jongin’s face perks up as he spits out the piece of ice he was sucking on. “Daddy will really let us go to the river?”

“I think you guys are old enough now to handle the shore,” she nods. The river was known to be rather rough in certain patches and young pups were strictly forbidden from playing near it without adult supervision. It was summer now though and the floods were long over so the river should be relatively calm and safe.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Baekhyun clambers up from his knees and begins to bounce on the tip of his toes. His brothers chirp in agreement and in no time, Joohyun has her hands full again as she tries to successfully guide four energetic pups to the river without losing one of them.

Baekhyun has already shifted and is yapping and darting back and forth as he waits for the others to catch up. Eventually he sprints ahead, keeping in mind of the potential dangers around him, and bursts through a bustle of bushes to land on the rocky shore of the river that provides them all with water. It actually starts out as a small stream that slowly channels into the river dividing their pack’s territory from the other packs’. The older wolves bathe in the stream but water is brought back for the pups.

Baekhyun stumbles around the rocks impatiently as he waits for Joohyun to show up and give him the okay to jump into the shallows. He was a really good swimmer for a pup. Sometimes on really hot days, the pack would fill a large plastic pool with water and let the pups paddle around and teach them the basics.

“One, two, three, and four,” Joohyun counts as she arrives on the shore, making sure all her nephews were with her. “Now don’t go out too far and the moment one of you cries, we’re going back home.”

“Yes, Joohyun,” they chorus together sweetly and then it’s a mad dash into the river where they tumble in with loud splashes and squeals.

The water is refreshing against their thick, heat stricken fur and the four siblings stay in the shallow end where they can still stand and roll around without drowning. As normal with pups, they begin to get a little aggressive, nipping and tugging at each other’s tails but not taking it too far because Joohyun wasn’t lying when she said she would take them home if one of them cried.

It’s the sound of splashing from the other side of the river that makes them all stop playing and quirk their ears up. Joohyun seems to be on high alert as she scouts the area but then she relaxes and rolls her eyes before letting out a huff of hot air.

“Moon pups,” she says annoyed as she settles her head back to rest on her paws. Baekhyun’s brothers look at each other in confusion but then go back to playing, pouncing from rock to rock and pushing each other off the slippery moss. Baekhyun finds himself staring at the other pups across the stream.

There are four of them too with their caretaker but only three of them are in the water. The smallest one out of all of them, a gray and white pup is sitting by a rock with a pout on his face as he watches the others splash around. Baekhyun has never seen a pup his age that was that little before. The runt looks scared as his brothers begin to roughhouse with each other and his ears, the only big things about him, fold back in worry.

“Chanyeol, come play with us!” One of the other pups yelp at him, stomping out of the water and shaking his wet self all over the runt.

“I-I don’t know,” Chanyeol stutters, sinking as far back into the rock as he can.

“Don’t be a baby,” the other pup nudges at him. “It’s fun and it feels nice.”

“Jongdae, just leave him alone,” another pup calls out. “He’ll come in when he’s ready.” The pup named Jongdae gives the runt another look before he’s prancing back towards the water and flopping himself in.

Baekhyun continues to observe the runt, Chanyeol. With some time, the gray and white pup slowly inches towards a spot away from his roughhousing brothers and peers into the clear water. Even at a closer distance, Chanyeol still looks tiny and Baekhyun feels bad for the other pup. Runts are at the bottom of the hierarchy in the pup world. His own litter doesn’t have a runt but he’s seen other litters treat their runts horribly. Some runts don’t even make it to their first year, not able to survive the competition for milk and warmth.

He watches as Chanyeol hesitantly dips one paw in, cringing at the cold temperature and taking a step back. This is a mistake though because he slips on a muddy patch and before anyone can even blink, he falls into river and straight into a deep spot.

Baekhyun feels anxiety swell in his chest as he watches Chanyeol go under and sees tiny paws trying to punch at the surface. The runt must have never learned how to swim properly. The Moon pack’s caretaker dives into the river and within seconds, he’s pulling up the wet, limp runt and sets him on the shore. Chanyeol coughs out a few mouthfuls of water and he’s shivering even though the summer sun is still warm against everyone. He looks absolutely traumatized and his caretaker starts barking out at the other pups, rounding them up. The brothers crowd around Chanyeol and Baekhyun loses sight of the runt, who is picked up by the scruff of his neck. A few minutes later and the Moon pups are gone from the shore and on their way back to their territory. Minseok splashes Baekhyun and he finally turns his head away from the other side of the river. An hour later, when Sehun makes Jongin cry by accidently stepping on his paw, Baekhyun has forgotten all about the Moon pups and their runt.

 

“Seungho’s runt is sick,” Baekhyun hears his alpha dad tell his papa two days later. Baekhyun is supposed to be sleeping and he was on the verge of drooping his eyes shut for good that night but the mention of the word ‘runt’ piques his interest and he quietly listens as his parents begin to talk.

“What’s his name again?” his papa asks.

“Chan-something,” his dad replies. _Chanyeol_ , Baekhyun thinks to himself. The Moon pup from the river.

“Joohyun told me she saw them the other day when she was with the pups,” his papa says. “She says that the runt fell into the river. The poor pup probably got pneumonia or something.”

“They say he has water in his lungs,” his dad confirms. “He won’t survive the week.”

“Are you going to his burial?” his papa asks. Baekhyun can’t help perking his ears up at this. A _burial_? He had only been to one in his short life and even though he didn’t know the elder wolf he had cried because Joohyun told him that the elder was gone forever. He didn’t know Chanyeol either, but he didn’t want the pup to be gone forever.

“I will if I’m invited,” his dad sighs. “But you know them and us. We still aren’t on good terms. Seungho might not be happy that I have four thriving pups and he only has three left.”

The conversation ends at that and his parents say goodnight to each other. Baekhyun can hear the sound of a quick kiss and then the lights go out. Sehun rolls over and right on top of Baekhyun, smacking his lips together in his dreams. Normally, Baekhyun would shove his younger brother off of him but tonight a heavy sadness has settled into his little chest. He closes his eyes and sends a quick prayer to the Sun God. _Please tell the Moon Goddess to let Chanyeol live._

The next few days have Baekhyun jumpy. He’s constantly observing his father, seeing if there are any signs of him leaving for the Moon pack. He listens in on meetings with the elders and Joohyun’s gossip sessions with her friends. A week passes by though and not once does he hear the terms _Chanyeol_ or _runt_ or _burial_ out of anyone’s mouths. The pressing feeling in his chest finally goes away and he’s back to his playful self, purposefully tripping Jongin’s clumsy limbs and bugging Minseok to wrestle with him. Soon enough, he forgets about the Moon runt all over again.

The Sun pups run across the Moon pups again later into the summer. This time the Moon pups are already there when Joohyun drags them to the shore. They had been learning how to hunt but got caught up in a mud fight and now were in desperate needs of baths before returning home. The three Moon pups are shifted into their human forms, splashing around naked in the river with little cups and bowls. Baekhyun scans the other shore for Chanyeol and finds the runt still in his wolf form, tucked against a pretty female omega. She must be the Moon pup’s mother. Chanyeol has grown a little bigger but he still looks small compared to his brothers and Baekhyun’s. He sleeping with his chin resting on top of his paws and his mom is grooming the back of his head and ears affectionately.

“Just a quick wash today,” Joohyun tells them as she shifts also. The pack keeps a collection of spare shirts and pants in a small crate hidden in the trunk of a tree near the shore and she grabs and oversized shirt and slips it on before grabbing Sehun and beginning to wash him. The blonde pup hums as Joohyun scratches behind his ears and then she sets him down on a warm patch of grass to dry. Sehun knows better than to go off running and get dirty again. Minseok is grabbed next and Baekhyun turns his attention back to the naked Moon children who are still playing in the water. He feels a strong gaze on him and turns his head to meet eyes with Moon pack’s head omega. She isn’t glaring at him but her gaze is cautious and curious. Baekhyun lets out a little yelp and ducks his head down in embarrassment. When he looks back up, Chanyeol is tucked even closer against his mother, his white fur blending into hers.

“Your turn, you rusty rascal,” Joohyun grabs him and sets him down in the little bath of water created by a small ring of rocks. “Shift though. You and Jongin are always so hard to wash because of your color.” Baekhyun glances back at the grass and Jongin is a naked, little human too, basking in the warmth of the sun next to a blonde and gray pup. He shifts and then Joohyun pours a handful of cool water over his head.

“Your papa needs to give you a haircut soon,” Joohyun laughs as Baekhyun’s wet, red hair falls into his eyes. She pushes it back and then begins to scrub him.

“Joohyun,” Baekhyun says as she’s rinsing him clean. “He’s alive,” he whispers carefully, not wanting the Moon goddess to hear him and reverse his statement.

“Who’s alive?” Joohyun asks, setting him on the grass next his brothers.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says, looking back across the river. The Moon children are drying themselves off, ready to go home too. Joohyun looks confused but she follows his gaze across the river, finally understanding what Baekhyun means.

“Why do you suddenly have interest in a Moon pup?” she asks. Sehun and Minseok are clambering onto her lap and Jongin looks like he has fallen asleep in the sun.

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun answers, not liking the feeling developing low in his belly. He feels guilty for some reason-like he’s done something really bad. Joohyun doesn’t say anything, only ruffling his hair.

 

The sun cycles pass and the seasons blend into each other as the two sets of pups continue to grow. With each passing day they get bolder and stronger and learn the ways of the pack and of life. In his litter, Baekhyun proves to be the more extroverted pup with his outstanding social skills and quick learning abilities. Minseok is a little shy and Jongin is sometimes lazy. Sehun has little interest in many things and would rather spend his days following his brothers or his papa.

Baekhyun’s alpha dad is sure that he is going to be the next head alpha. Even when Sehun and Jongin start growing faster than him and gain muscle in their thighs and upper bodies, everyone is still sure that Baekhyun will be the one to lead the pack. People are naturally drawn to his charm. Baekhyun isn’t quite sure how to feel about being the next head alpha. He likes people and making them happy but the responsibility seems too burdensome.

Baekhyun also likes the river. He likes the rushing calm of the currents and the coolness of the water. Time seems to stop when he and his brothers are playing in the river and many of their happiest memories are associated with the river. Like the time Minseok accidently caught a fish and then they spent the whole afternoon trying to outfish each other. Or the time Sehun slipped off a mossy rock and they made a waterslide out of it.

The Moon pups also seem to enjoy the river a lot, usually there whenever the Sun pups arrived. Both pups keep to their own sides but that doesn’t stop them from being curious about each other. Baekhyun especially is still so curious about Chanyeol. The Moon’s runt never strays near the water, instead lying down in the tall grass or stuck to the side of whichever guardian they have with them that day.

As the seasons and even years go by though, Chanyeol grows to be bigger than his three brothers although in a skinny, lanky, and awkward way. His paws seem to be too big for his narrow shoulders and the clumsy pup is always tripping over roots and rocks stuck in the ground. His limbs are long and uncooperative and his smaller, more proportionately sized brothers are still jumping on him and teasing him. Baekhyun always wants to paddle across the river and protect Chanyeol. He wants to growl at the Moon brothers to stop picking on the poor pup and just let him be. If he could, Baekhyun would park his smaller self in front of the awkward Moon pup all day and snap his jaw at anyone who dared make Chanyeol frown or pout. He doesn’t know where these protective feelings stem from but he thinks it’s a sense of pity combined with his rather empathetic self.

Baekhyun also steadily grows but Jongin and Sehun still seem to be growing faster than him. They gain speed in their gait and more lean muscles line their lithe forms while a layer of baby chub still spreads over Baekhyun’s belly. He does not think much of it though because they are still only pups. Childhood’s greatest wonders still awaits them and besides, he does not have to do as many chores as Jongin and Sehun who are asked to carry heavy pails of water and fetch wood to feed the fires.

 

“Look at them,” Jongin whispers underneath his breath as they set their baskets down on the shore. They are eleven sun cycles now, old enough to be left alone with their chores and know and fight the dangers of the river. Baekhyun takes out the washing tablet and sets it in the shallow water.

“A litter of omegas, that’s what they are,” Jongin chuckles amusedly as he grabs a dirty shirt and hands it over to Baekhyun. “The Moon alpha must be a little upset that none of his first litter are alpha enough to take over the pack.” Baekhyun glances over at the other side of the river and catches sight of two of the dainty Moon pups, washing laundry just like him and Jongin. They have pale skin and midnight black hair, a well-known trait of the Moon pack. Wolves of the sun pack are known to be more diverse in color. Even in his own litter, none of them have the same coloring. Sehun is as pale as a Moon pup and Jongin is gold like the sun stained him itself.

“Dad must be happy that at least two of us will be alphas,” Jongin brags, referring to himself and Sehun. It had been long confirmed that Jongin and Sehun were textbook alphas. Minseok and Baekhyun’s identities were still on the fence but there were high chances that they would both be alphas too.

“Baek, what will you do if you are not an alpha?” Jongin asks him suddenly. The red head pauses to think. Even if Jongin and Sehun reek and breathe alpha, Baekhyun is still the favorite for the position of head alpha. His two youngest brothers do not care much for the position and its burdensome responsibility. Minseok would handle the role fine but is a little too quiet and reserved to be first pick. Baekhyun is still a charmer and a mediator. They call him a natural leader and he’s honored but still conflicted.

“I will do nothing,” he says as he dunks the shirt back into the water. “An alpha, a beta, or an omega I will still be Baekhyun.” Jongin just grunts before soaking more clothes in a bucket of their handmade soap.

“That Moon runt,” he says, “Minseok and I saw him the other day when we were patrolling with dad.”

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun corrects him.

“What?” Jongin asks, confused.

“His name is Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says nonchalantly. He does not know any of the other Moon pup’s names.

“Whatever,” Jongin shakes his head, “but he’s not looking so runtish anymore. Dad says he might be an alpha but I don’t believe it. Runts never become alphas, only betas if they’re lucky.”

“Are you threatened, Jongin?” Baekhyun asks amusedly.

“I am not!” Jongin splashes at him defensively.

“You sound a little threatened,” Baekhyun teases him.

“There is nothing threatening about a runt,” Jongin says. “He may be bigger now but he still cowered like a rabbit and wouldn’t dare set foot near the water. A wolf who cannot even swim is not a wolf at all.”

“He must still have trauma after that fall,” Baekhyun muses a bit sadly, thinking about that day when Chanyeol nearly drowned in the river.

“What are you even talking about?” Jongin asks, still confused. No one really knows about Baekhyun’s tiny obsession with the Moon runt. He keeps it to himself, his own little precious secret in a pack that seems to know everything.

“Nothing,” Baekhyun changes the subject quickly. “Jongin, not everything is about being an alpha,” he scolds his younger brother. “Being a beta and omega has their charms too. I mean just look how pretty they are,” Baekhyun says glancing at the pups across the river again. Of course their statuses are not confirmed yet either but anyone with working eyes can practically tell that those two Moon pups in particular will present as omegas.

Jongin stares a little too long at pale skin with a soft rosy blush to it and one of the omegas looks up with big, round eyes. Jongin quickly turns his head, red creeping up his neck.

“See,” Baekhyun teases Jongin, flicking water at him with his toe. “Pretty omegas do have their charm. Maybe you can court him after we present.” Jongin scoffs at this.

“Me and a Moon omega would never happen,” he says as he plops himself down in the water with the sudsy clothes. “The packs hate each other too much to allow that, especially between two children of head alphas.”

“It’s a shame,” Baekhyun sighs, giving the Moon pups one last look. They are pretty and Baekhyun kinda wishes that someone would call him pretty too.

 

“Papa?” Baekhyun asks, snuggling into his omega father later that week. The Head Alpha is out on his weekly shift as a night patrol and the three other pups had fallen asleep in their corner of the hut. Baekhyun wanted to keep his papa company and found himself curled up around his beloved papa.

“Yes, my sweet?” His papa asks back, stroking his red hair softly. Out of all four pups, Baekhyun looks the most like him. Sehun and Jongin have their father’s traits and Minseok apparently looks like their great paternal grandfather.

“Why do we hate the Moon pack so much?” he asks quietly. He had been thinking about it ever since his conversation with Jongin at the river and none of it made sense to him. Everyone in his pack talked down about the Moon pack but yet they were still allies, albeit very strained allies. They didn’t trade much or even talk much to each other and tensions were obviously very strained but no one had ever explained why to Baekhyun.

“It’s complicated,” his papa says with a purse of his lips. “It goes back a long time.”

“Well I want to know,” Baekhyun demands, snuggling in even closer to his papa.

“It starts the same as every ancient pack rivalry,” his papa says. “They fought over land and omegas and pride and strength. There was betrayal and bloodshed and jealousy, all the usual things that result in a rivalry. After the last war though, when the all the alpha sons of both head alphas had been killed, they had come to an agreement of a truce. They divided the two territories in half with the river marking the border and agreed to be civil. If they could not be best friends, they could at least be civil. For nearly one hundred years the truce was kept. Both packs interacted as minimally as possible but there was no hatred or negativity towards either pack.”

“What changed?” Baekhyun sleepily asks, remembering the hardened look on Jongin’s face. It was like it had been programmed into him to not like the Moon pack but Baekhyun did not share the same sentiments.

“You have an uncle,” his papa tells him quietly.

“I have an uncle?” Baekhyun asks, surprised. He had been told that his alpha father was an only son with two sisters. Never had he heard of an uncle.

“He was a beta,” his papa says. “A very kind beta. Your father adored him very much. Everyone in the pack wanted to be his friend. I remember running to him with all my complaints about your father whenever he was being frustrating,” his papa recalls with a fond look in his eyes.

“Well what happened to him?” Baekhyun asks. “And what does he have to do with the rivalry?”

“He fell in love with a girl from the Moon pack,” his papa says. “He fell in love with the head alpha’s omega daughter. She had been a runt and he had come across her in the woods one day, lost and afraid. I think she had been trying to prove that she was worth something, that she wasn’t only weak. Anyway, they were in love and they wanted a proper mating ceremony. They thought their union would be good for the two packs.”

“Well wouldn’t it?” Baekhyun asks. In all the fairytales that Joohyun told him and his brothers, love could fix even the trickiest of problems.

“I think it would have been,” his papa tells him, with a kiss to his nose, “but the head alphas did not agree. Your grandpa did not want Jungwoo to be stuck taking care of a sickly mate who may not be able to provide him pups and a comfortable home. And the alpha of the Moon pack did not think that we would provide adequate care for his daughter. They tend to think that we do things a little roughly in our pack. He had already promised her to the Oak pack already too.”

“So she was engaged?” Baekhyun asks.

“Unknown to her, yes,” his papa answers. “No one was in favor of their union and I think they were even banned from contacting each other.”

“So what happened next?” Baekhyun asks, growing more curious about his uncle and his lover.

“They ran away together,” his papa says. “Jungwoo left one winter night and the next morning, the Moon pack came rushing in demanding to know where their omega was. They started a hunt to find the two. They figured that they couldn’t have gotten that far.”

“And did they find them?” Baekhyun asks.

“They did,” his papa nods, sadly though. “They were not alive. The omega, she had died of a sickness she had caught in the cold and Jungwoo-I don’t think this is appropriate for little ears like yours but-they say that he killed himself after she died. There was wolfsbane found on his tongue.” Baekhyun’s heart aches suddenly. He had been rooting for them. He had wanted them to successfully run away and be raising his own cousins in a sunny field far from here.

“Our pack blamed the Moon pack for the death of one of their cherished sons. Everyone really did love Jungwoo and your father, he mourned for months after his passing. The Moon pack blamed us for their daughter’s death, for leading her out into the cold without proper medication and supplies. We also cost them an alliance with the Oak pack, one that still hasn’t been gained back yet. That is the reason why the two packs dislike each other,” his papa finishes with a sorrow-filled sigh.

“Would you die too if father died?” Baekhyun asks suddenly.

“I think I would if I did not have you, and Minseok, and Jongin, and Sehun,” he answers honestly. “But I have you four and I would not be able to leave you.”

“Is that what love is?” Baekhyun asks, holding back a yawn.

“Yes,” his papa chuckles, kissing his sleepy eyelids shut. “Love is not being able to leave someone.” Baekhyun nods, understanding his papa’s wise words. The person he loves, he will not be able to leave, either in life or in death.

 

When they are thirteen sun cycles old, they finally present. It’s a gradual process, their scent glands begin to activate during their twelfth cycle and slowly produce the scent that they are to be associated with for the rest of their lives. It steadily builds and builds, like bone growth for a child, until one day they wake up and everyone realizes just how strong the scent has become and how undeniable their status is. The morning this happens for the Sun pups, there is the heavy stench of adolescent alpha filling their family hut. It’s thick and musty, not quite pleasant yet but tolerable and not distracting. In the midst of the potent mustiness though there is something sweet and delicate floating through the air. Its like warmed honeyed vanilla, soothing and lovely and indicative of the presence of an uncorrupted omega. It is also the morning that Minseok is chosen as the next head alpha.

As per tradition, the presented pups are moved out of their parent’s huts quickly. Minseok, as the next head alpha get his own hut. Sehun and Jongin move in together right next door and Baekhyun, he is placed on the other side of his parent’s hut. He is alone as the only omega in his litter. It would be inappropriate of him to share any private living space with his alpha brothers and although he won’t miss Jongin’s snores and Sehun’s sleep talk, he will miss the warmth of his three brothers curled up against him in the coldest of winter nights. He is not used to being alone like this.

“Three of Seungho’s pups are omegas,” Baekhyun overhears a scout report to his father before dinner. Even though they all live in separate huts now, meals are still taken together as a family, something his papa was insistent on.

“The runt?” Baekhyun’s father asks, an eyebrow quirked up in anticipation.

“An alpha,” the scout reveals. “He is Seungho’s only alpha.” Chanyeol. An alpha. The thought makes Baekhyun giddy for some reason. The poor runt would finally be able to prove himself, to stand up for himself and not be pushed around. Baekhyun is happy for the lanky pup.

“A runt as the next head alpha,” His father muses, a finger stroking at his chin. “I am curious to see as how Seungho plays this one out.”

 

Joohyun has her own litter of pups now, three brown little things that seem to be even more hyper than Baekhyun and his brothers. She seems overwhelmed by their energy and Baekhyun offers to help her take them down to the river to burn some of it off in the shallow waters. She is busy scolding her youngest daughter, Yeri, when Baekhyun catches sight of some Moon pack members making their way down the path with baskets of clothes balanced on their hips. He takes his eyes off of Youngho for a quick minute to scan the mixture of alphas, betas, and omegas who have come to do their laundry and he spots the head alpha’s three omega sons in their midst but he does not see Chanyeol among the alpha males. He feels his mood drop as he returns his attention back to Youngho, who is trying his very best to tread in the water. He has not seen Chanyeol since a week before they presented. The other boy has seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth, or at least from this portion of the river.

“He has been sent away,” a scout reports to his father a few days later. The sudden disappearance of Chanyeol had been a reason for alarm and the Sun head alpha had requested news of the runt. “Alpha Seungho did not believe that his son’s childhood training was adequate for that of a future head alpha’s. He has sent his son to endure private training in an undisclosed location of their territory, possibly even in a different allied pack. They say that Chanyeol will be back either when he is of age or when his father determines him fit enough to help run the pack.”

“So he is gone?” Baekhyun’s father confirms. Baekhyun feels his heart sink.

“Forgive me for being blunt,” the scout apologizes, “but the pup was nowhere ready to be a head alpha at his age. Alpha Minseok could easily overthrow him in a fight even if he was blindfolded. I also don’t mean to be rude but your son, Baekhyun, could even win against him unprepared. They were expecting Chanyeol to be a beta, so his scent that morning threw them all off. Emergency procedures were taken to make sure that he would become an at least decent alpha. I think that we have the upper hand here. Alpha Minseok is strong and far advanced among his peers. Our pack is in good care. Our future is bright. The Sun God has smiled upon us benevolently.”

“Thank you for your work,” his father smiles at the scout. “You have done well.” When Baekhyun is thirteen sun cycles, he learns that he will not see Chanyeol again for a very long time.

While Sehun and Jongin’s shoulders broaden, Baekhyun finds his hips widening. Minseok loses his baby chub and becomes sharp and lean. Baekhyun’s baby chub is only redistributed to carve out the curve of his waist and soften his thighs for tired pups to rest against after an eventful day. His brothers get slightly aggressive, the mess of hormones pumping through their bodies making them snap occasionally. Baekhyun remains their mediator, calming them down and making sure their father doesn’t snap back at them for their sporadically rebellious remarks. Even Minseok, forever calm and patient Minseok, gets into a few scuffles with other growing alphas and argues with their father. Baekhyun is fearful that one day it may go too far and all three of his brothers will be disowned in a fit of rage and thrown out of the pack. His papa always assures him though that this is the way of growing alphas trying to find their place in the pack. Baekhyun doesn’t like it one bit and he’s relieved that he doesn’t have to go through that. He wonders how Chanyeol is faring with his own alpha development. Is the other male also grouped up with a bunch of snappy adolescent alphas too? Can he hold his own against them? Are they being mean to him? Baekhyun can’t help but worry about the alpha and he has no way to ease his restlessness. No one has any reports on Chanyeol at all and it has been nearly two sun cycles since he was sent away.

Despite their differences in rank, the four brothers are as close as ever. On the days where they have no pack duties to fulfill, they still trail to the river together to just lounge or Baekhyun watches as they tussle around in the fields and act like the carefree wolves they still should be. They are all growing well according to the pack physicians. The alphas’ first ruts are predicted to be arriving during their seventeenth sun cycle. Baekhyun’s first heat is supposed to be creeping up on him during his sixteenth sun cycle. His father has already been subtly introducing potential alpha mates to him. At least once a week an alpha from a high ranking family joins them for dinner under the guise of pledging loyalty to Minseok but Baekhyun can see the discreet glances they send him and the game of praise they play with his father.

Jongin and Sehun are not so modest about their distaste for certain alphas. They make it known of whom they do not approve for Baekhyun and fortunately enough, Baekhyun’s taste in men is in accordance with his brothers’ tastes in friends. There is one alpha that shows promise though. Yifan is a year older than them and has quickly become one of Minseok’s best friends in the pack. He’s strong and charismatic and even Baekhyun’s father sings praises of him. Yifan can even keep up with Jongin and Sehun’s snarky quips and banter and he is always very kind when he sees Baekhyun. The Sun pack does not believe in arranged marriages so Baekhyun will be free to choose when the time comes. Out of all his options though, Yifan seems like the best.

 

“Jongin, can you actually help us?” Baekhyun complains, flicking water over at the alpha. They had just finished the fall harvest and preparations for the fall feast tonight were underway. The four brothers had been tasked with washing the squashes in the river but only three of them are actually doing work. Jongin is mildly distracted and Baekhyun is getting annoyed.

“Not all four of us can fit in this little pond anymore,” Jongin says, kicking at the shallow water blocked off by an enclosure of rocks. He is right because Minseok and Sehun are practically sitting on each other as they scrub dirt off of the fresh squashes.

“Well at least do something other than just standing there,” Baekhyun tells him with a huff. He’s been feeling a little more sensitive than usual and he actually thinks he’s coming down with the fall sniffles. Joohyun’s entire litter had been diagnosed with it and Baekhyun had spent quite some time with them last week.

“Fine,” Jongin groans, picking up a basket of squashes, “I’ll just go wash these somewhere else.” He steps out of the shallow enclosure and wades out a bit, setting his basket on a rock in the water that rushes past his hips. Jongin’s lean form makes him steady in the roughness of the currents and he begins to scrub the dirt off of his own stash of squashes, tossing the clean ones over to Sehun who sets them out in the sun to dry. The young alpha is down to two squashes when his nonexistent ass bumps into the basket and sends the remaining two drifting across the river instead of downstream.

“The squashes!” Jongin squawks as they roll onto the other side of shore and tumble against more squashes? All four brothers look up and to their surprise, the Moon pack is also washing vegetables fresh from their harvest. No one had noticed Jongin’s mishap though and to the Sun pack’s dismay, one of the Moon omegas scoops up Jongin’s stray squashes and throws them into their own pile.

Jongin is slightly appalled and the stubborn pride running through his veins will not allow him to let some Moon wolf steal his squashes. He slings his shirt over his head and tosses it before diving into the water to swim to the other side. Minseok’s jaw drops and Sehun snickers. They have never crossed to the other side before. It is practically unheard of. Only the scouts cross borders and interact with the other pack.

“He is going to get all of us into trouble,” Baekhyun sighs, standing up and preparing himself to go rescue Jongin’s troublesome ass.

“I say we give him five minutes,” Sehun laughs, “I want to see what he’s going to do.”

“There is no harm yet,” Minseok agrees, a slight grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Jongin ascends from the water, droplets rolling off his fit form as he strolls up onto the Moon pack’s shore like it is his own. The omega collecting the squashes has not noticed him yet, too busy with his task. Jongin recognizes him as one of Seungho’s sons, one of the pups that grew up across the river from him.

The omega is so focused on the squashes that he bumps into Jongin who is standing in his path. The smaller wolf scans Jongin from the tips of his toes up his lean body to his haughty face and then frowns, his plump lips pursing into a pout.

“What is a Sun wolf doing here in Moon territory?” The omega boldly asks, crossing his two arms over his chest. Jongin is a little surprised but he doesn’t expect anything less from the son of a head alpha.

“You have stolen something from me,” Jongin tells him, “I am only here to retrieve it.”

“I have done no such thing,” the omega retorts. “To accuse me of stealing from a Sun wolf,” he huffs in disbelief, “I would not go that low to take from the unfortunate likes of you.”

“Unfortunate likes of me?” Jongin repeats, irritated, “I’ll have you know that I am a son of Sun’s head alpha.”

“And my daddy is the Moon alpha,” the omega replies smugly. “None of that fazes me.”

“I’m an alpha too,” Jongin says, flexing a bit to show off his well-muscled body and broad size. Back at the Sun shore, Baekhyun practically chokes on his laughter. It is just like Jongin to bring up his status and show off a bit, especially in the presence of a pretty omega. The Moon omega has pale skin kissed by moonlight but a dark head of hair and deep, round wide eyes that anyone can get lost in.

“A head alpha?” The omega asks, cocking his head almost in interest.

“Well, no,” Jongin says sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sorry, not interested then,” the omega says, turning around and walking back towards his cart of squashes. This seems to rile Jongin up who marches forward, faster than the omega and grabs two squashes off of the cart, holding them high up in the air.

“Those are mine!” the omega says, reaching up to grab them from Jongin. This only makes Jongin hold them up even higher and he grins, satisfied at the sight of the omega on his tiptoes and stretching his arms up.

“Wrong, sweetheart,” Jongin says, leaning in close to the omega but still keeping the squashes out of reach. “These two are mine. They washed onto your shore and all I’d like to do is bring them back to their home in the Sun pack.”

“Lies,” the omega says, jumping up in an attempt to grab the squashes. “The river runs downstream. There is no reason or way your squashes would wash up here!”

“Kyungsoo, what’s going on?” Another omega steps into the situation and questions. It’s another one of the Moon’s head alpha’s sons and Minseok knows that this situation can turn out bad now. It’s two head alpha sons against one and they can’t leave Jongin alone in that type of situation.

“Time to go save our brat,” he sighs as he strips off his own shirt and begins wading out to deeper waters. Sehun and Baekhyun both look at each other and then follow their oldest brother across the river.

“I’m telling you the truth,” Jongin says, “My squashes crossed over to your side and I am just getting them back. Maybe the Sun God sent them here.”

“And why would your god do that?” Kyungsoo questions, a hard tone in his voice. “Maybe you just need to take care of your squashes better.”

Jongin drops his arms and holds the squashes close to his body as he takes a step closer towards Kyungsoo.

“Maybe he sent me here to take care of you,” the alpha teases with a low whisper. Kyungsoo’s face grows bright red and he lets out a frustrated shout, stomping on Jongin’s foot. Jongin drops the squashes as he grasps his foot in pain and they roll away but nobody goes after them.

“I can’t wait till Chanyeol gets back!” Kyungsoo practically screams into the open air. “Then he can take care of idiots like you,” he shoots one last glare at Jongin before storming off into the woods, leaving behind his cart.

Baekhyun had just arrived on shore but he had heard Kyungsoo’s scream and one name rang in his mind. Chanyeol. Kyungsoo had mentioned Chanyeol. It had been the first time he had heard that name in many sun cycles.

“I’ll go after him,” another omega with a soft looking face and an even softer voice says, looking warily at the direction Kyungsoo stormed off to. “Jongdae, you handle whatever this situation is,” he gestures at the scene messily.

Another omega steps up to the scene. He’s one of the Moon alpha’s sons too. Jongdae is just as pale as Kyungsoo and his other brother but his features are a little sharper and his eyes have a mischevious twinkle to them. Minseok also steps up as the representative of the Sun pack.

“Neither of our fathers have to hear about this situation,” Minseok offers, shooting a smile at the omega.

“I won’t spill but I can’t promise that Kyungsoo won’t say anything,” Jongdae says, a gleam in his eyes.

“I dare him to,” Jongin buts in from behind. “I’ll take on your dad and your brother-” Baekhyun has to practically grab Jongin and wrap a hand around his mouth to shut him up. Jongin can be such a bighead sometimes and Baekhyun is not about to let him ruin what little pack relations they have.

“I don’t think we’re the big mouths you have to worry about,” Jongdae says in amusement as Baekhyun begins to drag Jongin away.

“We’ll take our leave now,” Minseok says with a polite bow.

“Our side of the shore is pretty isn’t it?” Jongdae asks out of nowhere.

“It is,” Minseok agrees, not once taking his eyes off Jongdae.

 

Their first encounter with the Moon pack is not their last one. They’ve always seen each other at the river but now they are more aware of each other and take notice of what the other pack is doing. Jongin especially has taken a liking to calling across the river to tease Kyungsoo and rile the smallest omega up. Baekhyun thinks it’s a little mean and he always feels bad when he sees Kyungsoo storm off into the woods after Jongin has said too much. Jongin really means no harm though and the other wolves from the Moon pack seem to get a kick out of watching the two bicker from across the river too. Minseok likes to wave whenever he sees the other pack and the wolves tend to wave back too. Baekhyun can see more friendly pack policies being put into place when Minseok becomes the head alpha. He thinks they made a good choice in choosing Minseok.

“He’s pretty,” Sehun says one day when he and Baekhyun are lying down in the grass. They’re supposed to be picking up firewood for their parent’s hut but the sun is too warm and the breeze feels too nice for them not to stop and relax for a while.

“Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun asks, turning on his side to look at his youngest brother. They had passed the river a while ago and the Moon pack was there too. Sehun had never shown much interest in the Moon pack though.

“No,” Sehun shook his head, “Joonmyeon.” The oldest child of the Moon alpha. The omega is the quietest of the bunch but he is quite the looker too. Baekhyun is actually kind of jealous of how soft and delicate he looks.

“I heard he’s promised to someone in the Oak pack,” Baekhyun says quietly, not wanting Sehun to get his hopes up.

“I know,” Sehun replies with a sigh. “I just wanted to say that he was pretty.”

Baekhyun is alone a lot these days because his brothers are busy learning how to be alphas, whatever that means. Whenever he’s not helping out the other omegas or keeping his papa or Joohyun and the pups company, he’s lying down in his hut and staring at the ceiling, mindlessly thinking. His first heat had already passed and he had been miserable for three whole days even though it wasn’t completely awful. Just the friction of rubbing himself against his blankets was enough to ease the ache but his papa says that heats are supposed to get gradually worse as he matures more. He’s really not looking forward to that in the future.

With the passing of his first heat though, means that his father is even less subtle about getting him settled down with an alpha mate. Yifan comes over a few times a week and Baekhyun hasn’t expressed any distaste in him so his father thinks that Baekhyun is potentially interested. And Baekhyun is. Yifan would be a great mate. He’s dependable and so very kind and he already gets along great with Baekhyun’s family. But Baekhyun can’t help but think of only one name at night when’s lying there cold and alone and wistful. He thinks of Chanyeol almost every single night.

It’s a little silly because he and Chanyeol have never even formally met. All Baekhyun has is childhood memories of the runt with big ears stumbling over roots and rocks and cowering whenever someone came too close to him. He’s never even heard Chanyeol’s voice or his laughter and he doesn’t even know what Chanyeol looks like when he’s smiling. These things only fuel Baekhyun’s curiosity about the alpha though and he wants to know more. He wants to know everything but all he can do is fantasize and daydream about the alpha.

What hurts the most about his silly situation though is that Chanyeol probably doesn’t even know of Baekhyun’s existence. The alpha was always looking down when he was at the river and Baekhyun has never made eye contact with him or even seen him looking across the river. Chanyeol has probably never once been curious about the Sun wolf with the red fur. He doesn’t have memories of watching the red wolf play with his brothers the way Baekhyun has memories of watching the white wolf curl up against his mother. Baekhyun is alone in all his memories of Chanyeol and that is something that he can’t quite get over.

 

Before he knows it, nineteen sun cycles have passed for Baekhyun and his brothers. They are on the verge of adulthood, ready to become fully functioning members of the pack and find a mate and settle down. Yifan has started to formally court him and Baekhyun has been very receptive to his advances so far. They walk together sometimes in the woods and he finds conversation pleasant and easy with Yifan. He can picture himself living with the strong alpha, their little pups darting around their legs and filling the house with laughter.

Although Yifan is a mature, steady minded alpha, Baekhyun cannot say the same for his brothers. They’ve grown up strong and proud but their favorite pastime these days is to find ways to tease Baekhyun. Most of the time, it’s just tiny jabs about him being an omega when the rest of them are alphas. Like how they think Baekhyun can’t carry firewood to his own hut or how they make a big show of comparing their biceps before pointing out how thin Baekhyun is. Sehun claims it’s retaliation for all the times Baekhyun joked around with him back when they were little pups. Baekhyun tries to take it lightheartedly because he knows his brothers aren’t being malicious but one day it goes a little too far and Baekhyun is beyond annoyed.

He’s stomping through a far part of the forest, simultaneously cursing out each of his brothers and tearing off leaves of low hanging branches, imagining it’s the hair on their heads. Yifan had come over to give him a flower he had plucked during his scout run and Jongin and Sehun had watched the entire encounter. After the alpha had left, Jongin and Sehun had begun to tease Baekhyun about being the perfect little omega for Yifan and then Minseok had joined and joked about having Baekhyun clean his hut to practice. Baekhyun had not been in the mood for the housekeeping jokes and exploded at them, shoving Sehun away harshly, before pushing through Minseok and Jongin’s shoulders and making a break for the forest. He had started out on a run but now he had slowed down to a walk, still upset at his brothers.

By the time he’s finally calmed down, Baekhyun is farther away from home than he’s ever been before. He can tell that he’s nearing the end of Sun territory because the scent of the scouts is getting fainter but he’s already come this far so he’s determined to make it all the way to the end before turning back home. The river has thinned out a lot down here and Baekhyun could practically hop into Moon territory. As he continues to follow the water though, he sees that a section of the river cuts off and ends in a little pool, a small waterfall feeding it from above. It looks beautiful, overgrown vines crossing over the falls and the rocks in the pool seem to glitter with purple agates encrusted all around them. Baekhyun wants to explore more but it’s in Moon territory. He figures he’s already on a rebellious streak so he might as well cross anyways. Just as he’s about to step into the river, the crack of a stick frightens him and he darts behind a tree. He listens to more footsteps on the other side and then it becomes quiet and all he can hear is the sound of his own breathing. Baekhyun gains a little courage and peeks out from behind his tree and catches sight of silver-white hair and a broad, naked back rippling with strong muscles. His breathing stops as he watches the strange alpha slip into the water and relax against the edge of the rocks, his head tilted back. The alpha turns his head just slightly to the side and Baekhyun recognizes those ears.

The alpha is Chanyeol. Baekhyun had stumbled upon the ever-elusive Chanyeol. It had been many sun cycles since their pack has been updated on the whereabouts of Chanyeol. None of the scouts had been able to preen any information out of the Moon pack about their future head alpha and it had been making Baekhyun’s father and the elders antsy. They think that the Moon wolves are planning an attack and that Chanyeol is possibly leading an elite team of wolves that have trained far away from the public eye. Cases like that have happened before in other packs and the Sun pack doesn’t want to be underprepared for a scenario like that.

Right here in Baekhyun’s eyes though, he can see that Chanyeol hasn’t been sent far away to train with a team of cold-blooded killers. He’s just relaxing in his pool, all alone. Baekhyun takes a moment to look at him and he can’t help but like what he sees. Chanyeol looks tall, like one of the tallest wolves Baekhyun has ever come across. He’s leanly muscled, his biceps flexing just slightly and displaying the prominent bulge of muscle there and his chest looks sturdy and broad. The poor runt that was supposed to die all those sun cycles ago has grown into a strong, handsome alpha and Baekhyun feels a rush of pride swell in chest. Chanyeol had made it. He had even gotten over his fear of water and was resting so calmly. Baekhyun watches the alpha for just a few moments longer before heading back to his pack, the small smile on his face not disappearing for a single second. Chanyeol is alive and Baekhyun feels the happiest just knowing that.

He goes back to that pond as often as he can. Sometimes Chanyeol isn’t there but most of the time he is, resting in the pool or lying in the grass and watching the clouds roll by. Baekhyun stays out of sight and finds satisfaction in just watching Chanyeol. He commits every movement to memory and he’s absolutely fascinated with the other alpha. He wonders how Chanyeol has been living all these years. He wants to know what is training regime was like and where he lived and what he did in his free time. He wonders if Chanyeol is lonely because he hasn’t seen any other wolves with the alpha yet either. Baekhyun also really should be reporting his sighting back to his father but he doesn’t want to. A long time ago, Chanyeol had been his little secret and now that secret had been unlocked in his heart again and he wants to keep it that way. He feels a little special being the only one who knows where Chanyeol is.

Two weeks into his Chanyeol watch, Baekhyun gets caught. Just as he’s about to turn around and head home, a deep voice calls out to him and he flinches, feeling a rush of red run onto his face.

“I don’t bite,” Chanyeol says, voice low and velvety and smooth. It sends tingles up his spine and Baekhyun is afraid to turn and face the alpha.

“I know you’ve been watching me,” Chanyeol says, “It’s been two weeks and if you find me that fascinating to keep on coming back, you might as well come over here so we can talk.”

Baekhyun slowly turns and flushes even more as he makes eye contact with Chanyeol for the first time in his life. The alpha’s gaze is strong but not intimidating but it still makes Baekhyun slightly weak in the knees.

“If you’re worried about crossing the border it’s okay,” Chanyeol tells him. “I’m the future head alpha and I give you permission to cross.” Chanyeol’s straight forwardness flusters Baekhyun even more and he stands awkwardly at the edge of his side of the river.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Chanyeol asks. “The water level isn’t going to recede anymore than that. Even a small thing like you can hop over easily.”

Baekhyun takes in a small breath and then jumps over the trickle of the stream, landing steadily in wolf territory. He looks up and sees Chanyeol with a smile on his face. It makes his heart skip a beat and he gulps.

“Come join me,” Chanyeol says, patting the empty spot next to him on the grass. He looks warm and welcoming and Baekhyun makes his way to him, cautiously sitting down next to the alpha.

“I am Chanyeol, future head alpha of the Moon pack,” he introduces himself, “and who might you be Sun wolf?”

“Baekhyun,” the omega answers, trying not to twist his shirt inside the grip of his hands. He’s actually having a conversation with Chanyeol and the reality of it is making him a little dazed.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol repeats, a small wrinkle between his brows. “You must be the omega son of the head alpha.” Baekhyun’s eyes widen at this. So Chanyeol has heard of him. The alpha knows of his existence, something that Baekhyun never thought was possible.

“I am,” he says a little too enthusiastically. He sinks back a little and tries to calm his beating heart.

Chanyeol lies back on the grass, resting his hands behind his head. “How’d you find me,” he asks.

“My brothers-” Baekhyun begins.

“Not up there,” Chanyeol says, gesturing him down, “lay with me. It’s more comfortable to talk this way.” Baekhyun feels even more pink creep up his neck as he carefully lies down next to Chanyeol. The sky is a clear blue today, not a single cloud in sight.

“My brothers made me upset,” Baekhyun repeats, “so I ran away for a little bit and ended up here.” He realizes how petty and childish the action sounds now and he’s a bit embarrassed.

“They’re all alphas right?” Chanyeol asks, as if he’s trying to remember other information about the Sun pack.

“Yes,” Baekhyun nods. “I’m the only omega of the litter.”

“All my brothers are omegas too,” Chanyeol says, reminiscing fondly.

“They’ve grown up well,” Baekhyun tells him, not knowing when the last time Chanyeol saw them was. “I see them across the river all the time.”

“It’s been three sun cycles since I’ve seen them,” Chanyeol reveals, sounding a little sad.

“Do people not visit you often?” Baekhyun asks, watching the way Chanyeol frowns.

“My father visits often but it’s mostly to just make sure I’m training well and not being an idiot. My mother comes at least once a month to make sure I’m eating good and taking care of myself. She worries too much,” Chanyeol scoffs but he has an affectionate look in his eyes. “When I was younger too, my trainers came every day to teach me and stuff but now they visit once a week just to make sure I haven’t lost any skills.”

“You’re not that far away though,” Baekhyun points out. It only takes him an hour to walk briskly to Chanyeol’s pool. “Why can’t people visit you more?”

Chanyeol sighs, deeply and complicated. “My father wants me to remain focused and he doesn’t want many distractions around me. When I was younger, I had a very hard time adjusting to this lifestyle. I was weak and cowardly and it took a lot of patience and discipline for me to sharpen up. Absolutely no distractions were allowed back then and it’s just carried over the years.”

“It must have been lonely,” Baekhyun says sadly. He had always thought that Chanyeol had been surrounded with other alphas. Never did it occur to him that Chanyeol would be mostly alone.

“It was,” Chanyeol nodded, “but it was good for me. I would’ve never become the alpha I am today if my mother was constantly coddling me or if Jongdae and Kyungsoo were still ganging up against me for fun.”

“When are you returning home?” Baekhyun asks him. Chanyeol looks more than capable to lead the Moon pack now. Everyone would be very impressed with him when he finally came back.

“My father is trying to secure an alliance with the Oak pack right now,” Chanyeol says. “He doesn’t want my immediate return to raise any alarms so I will have to wait until the alliance is secure for a few weeks before I go back.”

“He is marrying Joonmyeon off,” Baekhyun recalls.

“I know,” Chanyeol says, tone turning hard. “I wish I could at least meet the guy before we send Joonmyeon off to him.”

“I think arranged matings are unfortunate,” Baekhyun tells him. “We all deserve to be with someone that we choose to love.”

“We do,” Chanyeol agrees forlornly. Baekhyun wonders if Chanyeol’s mate is to be arranged too.

Their meetings continue almost daily after that. Baekhyun finds a few hours to sneak away, usually between afternoon chores and dinner where everyone was either busy with their personal business or lazing around, and Chanyeol waits for him by the pool. They lie together on the grass and talk about anything and everything. Chanyeol tells him about his adolescent years isolated in the forest and Baekhyun talks about his brothers and the Sun pack. He really should be more careful in what type of information he is relaying to Chanyeol, the alpha is from the rival pack after all, but he can’t help but trust the calm alpha. Chanyeol listens so genuinely and his laugh sends butterflies into Baekhyun’s stomach. He hasn’t been included into pack life for so long so he’s very curious about the dynamics and relationships and Baekhyun can answer all those questions for him.

As Baekhyun gets to know the other alpha too, he doesn’t seem like someone who is viciously planning to overthrow the Sun pack. Chanyeol wants to lead benevolently and bravely. Like Minseok, he would rather the two packs have good relations again instead of strained ones and he’s looking forward to meeting the other future head alpha so they can work on repairing the crumbled fragments of their relationship.

“I think you’ll be a good head alpha,” Baekhyun tells him one day, turning so that he’s lying on his side and facing Chanyeol. The distance between them has slowly decreased day by day and if Baekhyun just pokes out a finger, he’ll be able to touch Chanyeol’s cheek.

“I don’t know if I will be,” Chanyeol sighs, his insecurity bleeding out. “I may be strong and stuff but I know nothing about the pack I will be leading. I don’t know if they’ll trust me or if I’ll be good enough for them.”

“It’ll be a learning process,” Baekhyun agrees, “but I have faith in you. People will like you. I’m sure of it.”

“If everyone in my pack was like you, I would have nothing to worry about,” Chanyeol grins at him, his big eyes crinkling up a little. “Minseok is very lucky to have a brother like you to support him.”

“Minseok will be a good head alpha,” Baekhyun agrees, “but yes, I think he would be lost without me,” he chuckles. “Jongin and Sehun like to think with their muscles more than their brains so they would be no help at all in diplomatic matters.”

“Can I ask you something weird?” Chanyeol says suddenly, his gaze shifting a bit as he scoots closer to Baekhyun. There’s a slight breeze today, which explains why their bodies are subconsciously seeking out more warmth.

“What is it?” Baekhyun replies.

“Could you hold me for a while?” Chanyeol asks quietly. “My mother is usually the only one to hug me and it’s been a while since she’s visited. I just felt a little lonely last night and you’re the only person that I see regularly and we’re close enough that I thought I could ask for some physical attention. It’s okay if you don’t want to though. I’ll understand if it’s uncomfortable for you.”

“I could,” Baekhyun replies softly. He tries to remain calm on the outside but on the inside his heart is hammering wildly. To hold Chanyeol has been one of his most secret daydreams and the chance that is actually happening is hard to believe. Chanyeol scoots closer, his arms slipping under Baekhyun’s petite form and pulling him close. Baekhyun barely manages to hold back a squeak as Chanyeol’s warm skin touches his and his maple scent fills the close surroundings. He realizes that Chanyeol is the one doing the holding instead of him and he quickly loops his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and holds him firmly. Both of their breathing is shallow and Baekhyun can feel Chanyeol’s heart thumping against him just as quickly as his.

“You feel different from my mother,” Chanyeol whispers, sending tingles up Baekhyun’s skin.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Baekhyun asks, letting his head tuck against Chanyeol’s chest and neck.

“I like it,” Chanyeol says, “I like this.”

“Me too,” Baekhyun whispers, his breath kissing Chanyeol’s neck. He likes this a lot more than holding Yifan’s hand.

They can’t seem to get enough skin contact after that initial hug. They still talk and lay around together but now Chanyeol likes to pull Baekhyun into his lap and either their legs or their arms are looped around each other. It’s weird at first but it’s not uncomfortable. Baekhyun likes the feel of Chanyeol’s strong, firm body around him. He knows he’s small but he likes how Chanyeol makes him feel even smaller but still safe. Sometimes they run out of words to say but fill the silence with other things, like Chanyeol humming an old Moon song or Baekhyun stroking Chanyeol’s ruffled hair to slowly get the tangles and knots out of it. Their afternoons spent together are simple and lazy but Baekhyun wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We can go in,” Chanyeol says one day, when he catches Baekhyun gazing at the pretty pool. They mostly just spend time together on the grass and Baekhyun had been too shy to ever ask about the pool.

“Can we?” Baekhyun asks for confirmation. Chanyeol nods and stands up, reaching out to pull Baekhyun up too and then the both of them are stripping down to their underwear. There are a few excited steps and then a slight splash as they both jump into the pool. Cool water engulfs Baekhyun as he sinks into the clear blue and holds his breath. He opens his eyes slightly and catches Chanyeol underwater, staring back at him. Both of them resurface for a breath of air and push their wet hair away from their faces.

“It’s so pretty here,” Baekhyun sighs as he pushes his way to the ledge where the water from the waterfall meets the surface of the pool. He lets his hand trail through the downfall and Chanyeol follows him, also resting against the ledge.

“You’re the only one who knows of this place,” Chanyeol tells him. “Mom and father have never been here with me either.”

“The scouts don’t come here?” Baekhyun asks. He would think that the hardworking scouts would have found this pool already and taken a break in the calm waters too.

“I’ve never seen them here,” Chanyeol says. “And I’ve been here for six sun cycles now.”

“A place like this should definitely be treasured,” Baekhyun says, “but I feel like sharing it with others would make it lose it’s specialty.”

“I don’t want to share it with anyone else,” Chanyeol says, his eyes focused on only Baekhyun.

“Then let’s leave this for only you and me,” Baekhyun tells him, a soft smile on his face.

The two of them continue to grow more comfortable around each other, maybe a little too comfortable but Baekhyun isn’t complaining. He and Chanyeol are no longer strangers to touching and teasing each other with words and little jokes. It’s practically on the level of flirting and it’s working on Baekhyun. He can feel the flutters in his stomach and heart grow with each grin Chanyeol sends his way. He holds onto Chanyeol just a little longer and tighter each time and he knows whatever this is, it’s working on Chanyeol too. He can feel the way the alpha’s breath catches whenever Baekhyun’s mouth gets a little too close. He knows that Chanyeol is inhaling his scent, trying to memorize it whenever he rubs his cheek against Baekhyun’s bare skin or runs his nose down the column of Baekhyun’s neck. Their actions are bold and not discreet and Baekhyun is falling hard and fast.

It’s one of those very lazy days, after their dip in the pool, and they’re lying in the sun to dry off. They’re lying side by side, facing each other and Baekhyun is tracing one finger up and down Chanyeol’s arm, catching the little droplets of water that haven’t evaporated yet. Chanyeol has a hand on Baekhyun’s waist, heavy and possessive and Baekhyun hopes that he never moves it.

“What are we?” Chanyeol asks as Baekhyun moves in closer to him, practically curling up against his toned chest.

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun answers quietly. It’s painfully obvious that they are not just friends. Their attraction to each other is just too strong but there is an unspoken hesitation.

“Can I kiss you?” Chanyeol asks next, dipping his head down so that their noses are rubbing against each other. Baekhyun holds back a gasp as Chanyeol’s warm breath hits his and he nods, afraid that his verbal answer will end up just a tiny little squeak.

“If I kiss you, will you be mine?” Chanyeol wonders boldly. Baekhyun wants nothing more than to be Chanyeol’s so he is the one to tilt his head up first and their lips meet in a soft, sweet kiss. A wave of warmth rushes throughout Baekhyun’s body, filling him with a spark that he has never felt before in his nineteen sun cycles. He feels like his soul has been reborn into something new, into something that has been irreversibly tied to Chanyeol forever.

They talk about their relationship and what it means for the two packs. Chanyeol knows his father will not be happy when it is revealed that he has chosen Baekhyun. But the future head alpha will not settle for anyone else. Baekhyun tells him the story about their aunt and uncle. Chanyeol has never heard it before but he swears they will not have the same fate. He truly believes that the two packs can be on good terms again and it will start with him and Baekhyun.

Baekhyun is watching Chanyeol swim one day. He’s sitting on a rock, with his knees pressed against his chest, covered in Chanyeol’s big shirt as the alpha does laps back and forth across the small pool. When Chanyeol is done, he swims over to Baekhyun and pulls himself half out of the water, straining his neck for a kiss. Baekhyun smiles and cups his cheeks affectionately before pecking him on the mouth.

“What’s got my little love thinking so hard today?” Chanyeol asks.

“I just think it’s amazing how wonderful of a swimmer you are,” Baekhyun tells him with a shy smile. “You used to be terrified of the water.”

“How do you know that?” Chanyeol asks, wrinkling his nose up. Baekhyun blushes, looking away for a moment. He has yet to tell Chanyeol about the tiny crush he had on the little runt back in the day. Chanyeol tugs on his shirt to get his attention and Baekhyun lifts his arms up, letting Chanyeol work the shirt over his head and off before he’s pulled into the water. The omega’s leg automatically swing around the alpha’s hip and he wraps his arms around Chanyeol’s neck.

“This might sound weird,” Baekhyun says, “but I used to watch you when we were children. You caught my interest for some reason and I just liked to keep track of you whenever I saw you at the river. You never swam or even came within three feet close to the water. You even hated getting splashed by Jongdae and Kyungsoo.”

“You watched me?” Chanyeol asks in amusement. “Wait-I was such an ugly little runt back then. I was a cowardly little pup. I can’t believe you saw me like that back then. I even let Kyungsoo walk all over me. I bet that kid hasn’t grown an inch since I’ve last seen him.”

“You were cute,” Baekhyun chuckles, remembering all those secret glances he stole at Chanyeol. “You were so tiny but you had big ears. You still have big ears,” he thumbs at Chanyeol’s ears teasingly.

“I was such an embarrassment back then,” Chanyeol cringes. “I understand why my father had to isolate me when they found out I was an alpha.”

“You were not an embarrassment,” Baekhyun scolds him lightly. “You were just a runt. You needed the extra care and attention.”

“I don’t remember you,” Chanyeol sighs regretfully. “I feel like I would remember this red hair of yours but none of it is in my memories. I feel bad because you have feelings for me that go way back but I only know of the you right now.”

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun tells him. “I knew my crush was one sided. I wasn’t expecting the puppy you to ever look at me, when you could barely stare at your own reflection in the water.”

“I nearly drowned,” Chanyeol says, “that’s why I was afraid of the water.”

“I saw it,” Baekhyun reveals slowly. “We were there on the day you slipped.”

“You saw it?” Chanyeol says, neck turning slightly red.

“I was so worried,” Baekhyun strokes the back of Chanyeol’s neck to calm him down. “I prayed to the Sun god to ask the Moon goddess to save you and I was so scared every time I heard father and mother talk about your pack.”

“I was supposed to die,” Chanyeol says. “I remember hearing them tell my mother and father to prepare for the burial because I wouldn’t last the week. I had water in my lungs and a fever that would not break no matter how hard they tried. Kyungsoo, Jongdae, and Joonmyeon cried a lot. I remember that too. I think I almost did die. I had a dream where I was floating in the sky but it wasn’t blue. There was this hazy orange and yellow glow and I remember being very confused. I saw the Sun god arguing with the Moon goddess. They were fighting about me. The goddess told him that he had no business interfering with her wolves and the Sun god got very angry. He told her that it wasn’t my time yet, that I wasn’t meant to leave yet. Then he saw me and he came up to me and touched my forehead. He was very nice to me, not mean at all like he was towards the Moon goddess. He told me to go back to bed and to wake up in a few hours. He told me that there was someone who was waiting for me and that’s why I couldn’t leave yet. He said that person will already be waiting for a long time and I couldn’t let them wait forever. The dream ends there but my fever broke the next day and I survived. Was it you, my love? Were you the one waiting for me?”

“I was,” Baekhyun nodded, feeling a slight wetness in his eyes. The Sun god had fought for Chanyeol, just like Baekhyun asked him to.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting for so long,” Chanyeol says, sorrow in his eyes. He looks pained and regretful. Baekhyun buries his face into Chanyeol’s neck and kisses the smooth skin there.

“Don’t apologize for anything,” he whispers. “All that matters is that you’re here right now.”

“I will never let go of you,” Chanyeol promises, holding Baekhyun tight against him. Baekhyun looks up and kisses Chanyeol deeply and passionately. He can never let go of Chanyeol either. He loves the alpha too much to even think about the pain that would come with losing him.

 

“Where do you go?” Sehun asks him later that day when he returns to the pack. He always washes the scent of Chanyeol off of him before coming back and no one has raised any suspicions.

“On a walk,” Baekhyun answers simply.

“For five hours?” Sehun questions, with a quirk of his brows. “You missed dinner today. I had to cover for you and said that Joohyun needed your help with the pups.”

“I like to clear my mind,” Baekhyun says, trying to walk away from Sehun. His younger brother grabs him by the elbow.

“Every single day?” Sehun prods. “You aren’t exactly being slick about what you’re doing. Papa has been noticing that you’re half-assing your afternoon chores too before you disappear off to nowhere.”

“Sehun,” Baekhyun sighs, “I’m not doing anything bad.” Well that was his opinion, but locking lips with the rival pack’s alpha son might not be favorable in anyone else’s eyes.

“Baek,” Sehun holds him back, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I’m not,” Baekhyun defends himself. He trusts Chanyeol with all of his life.

“Just because dad has never yelled at you doesn’t mean he isn’t capable,” Sehun reminds him. “You know how he gets when he’s disappointed.”

“I’m not doing anything, Sehun,” Baekhyun snaps, annoyed. “I’m just trying to get some alone time. It’s hard to breathe around here with everyone hounding down my neck.”

“Is this about Yifan?” Sehun asks more calmly. “If you’re stressed by the entire courting thing, you don’t have to go through with it. We’re not like those Moonies-”

“And what’s wrong with those _Moonies_?” Baekhyun cuts him off, internally flinching at using the derogatory term they call the Moon wolves.

“They’re cold, calculating, savagely traditional,” Sehun spits out, moving his gaze to stare off in the direction of the Moon territory. “They tell us stories about the Moon pack when we scout and train. They aren’t nice wolves, Baekhyun. They’ve done awful things towards our pack and others and even towards their own pack members.”

“Those are just stories, Sehun,” Baekhyun scoffs. “Of course they’ll tell you those things to fuel the rivalry.”

“How you treat your omegas says a whole lot about your morals as a pack,” Sehun says quietly, “We would never do what they do. We would never sink that low.”

“What are you talking about?” Baekhyun asks, confused.

“The alpha they’re sending Joonmyeon to already has a mate,” Sehun reveals bitterly. “He’s nearly two times Joonmyeon’s age and his mate is sickly and he wanted a new one. So he asked for Joonmyeon and the Moon’s head alpha gave him up just like that. He sacrificed the future of one of his sons all for an alliance that isn’t even beneficial.” Baekhyun’s stomach twists at the new information. He’s sure that Chanyeol doesn’t know these details either because he would never let his brother succumb to that fate. The alpha has only ever had praises and words of admiration for Joonmyeon, who protected him from the cruel fate of being a runt.

“We aren’t like that,” Sehun shakes his head one more time. “If you don’t want Yifan then he won’t have you. Baekhyun, you’re free to choose whoever you want.” Baekhyun nods but he doesn’t know how true Sehun’s final words are. He doesn’t know if he’ll be allowed to choose Chanyeol peacefully.

He doesn’t tell Chanyeol about Joonmyeon’s predicament. He doesn’t know if it’s his place to make Chanyeol upset with that information. He doesn’t even know if the information is true in the first place. Instead he focuses on spending time with Chanyeol. Moments of silence are filled with kisses. They daydream about their future together. Baekhyun will most likely move to the Moon pack with Chanyeol. They don’t think too much of what will happen if their packs disapprove. But Baekhyun knows that he’ll run with Chanyeol if Chanyeol decides to run.

Baekhyun is so in love with Chanyeol that he gets reckless. There are some days where he spends nearly half the day wrapped up in Chanyeol’s arms, only going home when the sun sets. His papa sends him knowing looks but Baekhyun ignores them. He knows that he’s lucky that his father and brother’s time is being eaten up by something. They’re so busy with whatever it is that they don’t even have family dinner anymore. Baekhyun has a nagging feeling that he should find out what is keeping them occupied but it also gives him more time with Chanyeol, time that he is greedy for.

Chanyeol takes him to his personal hut one day. The Sun pack is doing nothing special today and Baekhyun had no immediate duties to complete so he had escaped in the morning to meet Chanyeol near the pool and then they had walked deeper into the woods where Chanyeol’s humble home was hidden. It’s bigger than Baekhyun’s own hut, which is understandable because Chanyeol is a much bigger wolf than he is. Chanyeol also does not have the comfort of having a pack community around him, meaning that he is in need of more supplies and space to support himself instead of depending on others.

They cook lunch and play around with each other. Chanyeol can’t stop stealing kisses from Baekhyun’s mouth and the omega willingly gives in to each press of lips. He ends up sitting on the table, making out breathlessly with Chanyeol as their fingers thread through each other’s hair. By the time they finally eat lunch the both of them are flushed but happy, the smile stretched wide on their faces. It feels like they’re actually mated and Baekhyun wants this to last forever.

Chanyeol takes him to a tunnel of flowers near his hut. There are white and purple gardenias growing all around them and Baekhyun is stunned by how breathtakingly beautiful it looks. His mouth is dropped open as he stares and circles around the tunnel, the fresh scent of flowers filling his senses. Chanyeol plucks a white gardenia from the wall and tucks it behind Baekhyun’s ear, the contrast pretty against his red hair.

“I want our mating ceremony to be here,” Baekhyun gushes, taking a step closer to Chanyeol and swinging their intertwined hands back and forth. He’s giddy just thinking about it. Chanyeol chuckles and kisses his forehead.

“If that’s what you want,” Chanyeol agrees. “But we could get mated in front of just a gray rock and I would still be the happiest alpha in the world.” Baekhyun laughs and stands on his toes to kiss Chanyeol again.

Chanyeol shows Baekhyun other places of his adolescence, like the field he trained on with his mentors and the cave he hid in during one really bad snowstorm where he couldn’t make it home in time. Baekhyun thinks of younger Chanyeol, alone and scared and fighting off nature’s forces by himself. He wishes that he would have been next to Chanyeol back then too.

They go back to Chanyeol’s hut to start on dinner and this time they don’t get distracted by each other too much. Chanyeol is surprisingly an amazing cook and Baekhyun once again is beyond impressed with how much Chanyeol has grown in the past sun cycles. They leave the dishes for tomorrow and Chanyeol ends up tickling Baekhyun’s stomach. That starts a little match there and they both end up running throughout the hut, Baekhyun trying to dodge Chanyeol’s hands while the alpha tries to capture him. Baekhyun ends up running onto Chanyeol’s pile of bed furs and he gets cornered against the wall where Chanyeol finally catches him and ends up tickling him. They collapse in a fit of laughter against the bed and Baekhyun rolls onto his back trying to catch his breath. Chanyeol rolls on top of him, caging him in his arms. Their gazes meet and Chanyeol is looking down at him so softly and affectionately. The alpha strokes his hair and Baekhyun snuggles closer to his touch.

“Where have you been all my life?” Chanyeol asks in a low, awed whisper.

“Just across the river,” Baekhyun chuckles, feeling a little shy at how intense Chanyeol’s gaze is on him.

“Too far away,” Chanyeol pouts adorably.

“No,” Baekhyun says, getting bold enough to reverse their positions and roll on top of Chanyeol. “Just close enough.” They’re kissing again, fiercely and passionately as their bodies meet and mold against each other. The overwhelming scent of Chanyeol is everywhere on this bed but Baekhyun just can’t get enough. He’s whiney and desperate and not quite sure of what he wants but he knows that Chanyeol is the only one who can give it to him. Before he knows it, he’s grinding against Chanyeol’s thigh but there are strong hands holding onto his hips to pause him.

“Not today, Baek,” Chanyeol murmurs against his sweaty skin, weakly. “I wish we could but it would be entirely irresponsible of us. You told me that your heat is soon and my rut could come too. We can’t conceive pups like this. It would be too much.”

Baekhyun squeezes his eyes shut tightly, wanting to ignore Chanyeol’s words. He’s confident that if he keeps on going, Chanyeol will give in and he’ll get what he needs but the alpha is also right. Their hidden relationship is already scandalous by pack standards. If he were to fall pregnant with Chanyeol’s pups, even though he would be over the moon happy, it would look shamefully bad for his family and would do nothing to ease the tensions between the packs.

He lets out a semi-annoyed huff and rolls off Chanyeol, distancing himself to calm down a little. He can hear Chanyeol trying to even out his breathing too and he thinks of Jongin and Sehun and their ugly half, asleep faces. The image is more than enough to settle him down and once he feels that Chanyeol is okay too, he turns onto his side to admire his alpha’s profile. His eyes trace down the gentle slope of Chanyeol’s nose and the smoothness of his cheeks before settling on his plump lips. He gives Chanyeol a sweet, quick kiss before cuddling close to the alpha.

“I wouldn’t mind if we lived out here after we were mated,” he says quietly.

“It’s too far from the pack,” Chanyeol says, regretfully.

“If neither pack accepts us we can run away here together,” Baekhyun jokes, slipping a hand up Chanyeol’s shirt and tracing a smiley face against his chest.

“It’s still on Moon territory,” Chanyeol snorts. “And my father and mother knows where this is. We’ll have to start fresh.”

“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we go,” Baekhyun says. Chanyeol hums, stroking Baekhyun’s back gently.

“They’ll approve, Baek,” Chanyeol says. “There’s no one better for you than me,” he smiles confidently. Baekhyun laughs and buries his head into the side of Chanyeol’s armpit.

“I’d like you even if you were still a shy, awkward thing,” Baekhyun teases him.

“Oh, boy,” Chanyeol lets out a hefty sigh, “I think you’d be too intimidating for me. I’d probably hide behind my mom and let Kyungsoo deal with you. He can be really mean when he wants to.”

“I believe that,” Baekhyun nods, thinking about how snappy Kyungsoo got when Jongin was around.

“He’s super sweet too though,” Chanyeol smiles fondly, thinking about his youngest brother. “He had these moments were he’s innocently clueless and cute but then he turns around and bites if he’s not happy. Mom says he’s a lot like father.”

“Chanyeol, your father is a good person, right?” Baekhyun asks, thinking about Joonmyeon’s situation. “He was very involved with you guys, right?” There were some head alphas out there who had many pups but didn’t bother to help raise them properly, only grooming his potential next head alpha.

“He’s the best father in the world,” Chanyeol grins. “He didn’t give up on me when I was weak and dying and he sheltered me a lot as a runt. When he found out I was an alpha, he became sterner but it was all to benefit me. I have great respect and admiration for him and how he leads the pack. Despite my weakness and me letting Jongdae and Kyungsoo step over me sometimes, we all had very happy childhoods. Father was very present in our lives.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Baekhyun says, letting himself relax against Chanyeol. He doesn’t know if he can believe in what Sehun has told him about Joonmyeon. It doesn’t sound like it can be real.

Baekhyun doesn’t realize that the sun has set until it’s already dark outside and he can feel himself wanting to cry as he gets ready to leave. Chanyeol walks him as far as he can, to the conjoined tree that marks the separation of the river, without letting his scent mingle with the trail left by the scouts. They hug and kiss one last time and Baekhyun can feel Chanyeol watching him to make sure he gets part of the way home safely.

 

“Where the fuck have you been?” Jongin grabs Baekhyun by the arm rather roughly as soon as he approaches the edge of their pack village. He smells tense and Baekhyun suddenly notices the presence of other alpha scouts roaming around the border too.

“Jongin, what’s wrong?” Baekhyun asks, suddenly very worried on what he had missed out on during the day.

“Let’s get you out of here first,” Jongin says hushed as he leads Baekhyun to their parent’s hut. His father and Minseok are sitting in the center along with some scout leads and his papa is in the corner, talking quietly with Joohyun and a few other omegas. The air is stressed and stale. Sehun is nowhere to be seen.

“Jongin, what happened?” Baekhyun asks again, not letting himself be sat in the corner with the other omegas. Jongin huffs, anxiously but also a little annoyed.

“There was a dead Moon omega found on our side of the river today,” Jongin says, “She didn’t just die, she was killed. There was a deep gash running throughout the entire length of her belly.” Baekhyun’s stomach drops and his mouth parts open in disbelief.  

“Who-who would do something like that?” he asks.

“None of us,” Jongin shakes his head. “We were framed. Her blood was smeared all over our side of the shore. It’s only a matter of time before the Moonies smell it and connect the dots. They aren’t going to let this go quietly. Dad and Minseok are preparing for war.”

“War?” Baekhyun repeats timidly.

“A scene like this has Oak written all over it but of course the Moonies will never believe that their new, precious allies would ever pull something like this,” Jongin scoffs. “The scouts are out in case anyone decides to attack tonight.”

“Sehun?” Baekhyun asks, concerned about his little brother.

“On scout duty,” Jongin confirms.

“And Yifan?” Baekhyun says. He may not have romantic feelings for the other alpha but he did still care about Yifan as a friend.

“With Sehun,” Jongin says. “They’re leading the far run, to try and find if the killer left any traces.”

“What did you do with the body?” Baekhyun asks.

“Its in the healer’s hut,” Jongin answers. “They cleaned it up and got it ready for the burial. Dad plans on talking first, trying to explain our side of things and hopefully our preparations will be convincing to them that we had no part in her death. If that doesn’t work, we still have the privilege of knowing that we treated that wolf right even in death. She might be a Moonie but she was an innocent omega that didn’t deserve death.”

Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say after that. It was supposed to be a quiet, relaxing day for all of them but it had turn into the makings of a war.

“Go sit with papa,” Jongin mumbles, pointing Baekhyun towards that direction. “Some of the omegas are kind of shook up over what happened today.” Baekhyun nods and slides over in the direction of his papa. The older omega acknowledges him and Baekhyun leans against his papa, letting him stroke through his red hair gently.

Baekhyun listens to two different conversations. The first one is of his papa talking to the other omegas and telling them what is expected of them should war become a reality. The second conversation, the one he’s much more interested in is his dad and Minseok discussing plans with the elders and some other alphas.

“They are without a future head alpha right now,” one of the elder exclaims. “Chanyeol might as well be dead with how long he has been missing. Seungho is just putting up a front to scare us off but there is every possibility that he has no alpha heir anymore. That is why he is so persistent on his Oak alliance.”

“If the runt is alive?” Baekhyun’s father questions. “If we go to war and Seungho sends in his alpha son what are the chances of us holding ground?”

“Minseok is skilled and agile,” one of the other alphas brings up. “I have no doubt that he will be able to overthrow Chanyeol if it is needed. Minseok leads his alphas well. They sync and they are completely loyal to him. Unless Chanyeol really has been training all this time with a team of hidden alphas, he has no true authority over the Moon alphas. They do not know him and he cannot band them together that easily. They have no reason to give command to a wolf that they have not seen in six years.”

“Are you confident in your skills, Minseok?” Their father turns to look at his oldest son.

“Yes,” Minseok nods. “I have full confidence that I have the skills needed to protect this pack.”

“If the situation asks for it, you are willing to kill Chanyeol?” Baekhyun’s stomach flips at this and he doesn’t even hide the fact that he turns his head to look at Minseok, eyes hard and not blinking.

“Yes,” Minseok replies without hesitation. “If it is for the safety of the pack I will kill Moon alpha Chanyeol.” Baekhyun lets out a gasp but it’s covered by the opening of the door where a scout bursts in.

“We have found a scent trail,” he announces. This gets everyone’s attention and Baekhyun’s interested is piqued too.

“Near the river, by the two trees that are conjoined by their trunks, there was the scent of an unfamiliar alpha. It did not smell quite Sun or Moon but there was also the smell of omega masked with it. Sehun and Yifan are running the trail right now and Jongin has been notified to join them,” the scout says. Baekhyun wants to throw up because the conjoined trees, that’s where he and Chanyeol said goodbye earlier. They’re after Chanyeol.

“Good job,” Minseok says, standing up and dusting his hands off on his knees. “I have full confidence that my brothers and friend will be able to track down this alpha if he is still in the area.”

“They want permission to cross into Moon territory,” the scout says.

“Permission granted,” Minseok agrees, even though it is not his to give. “The Moon’s should understand and if they don’t we already have grounds for war.”

“I’ll send a messenger after them,” the scout nods. He’s turning to leave but then he sniffs the air and pauses, looking mildly uncomfortable.

“Is there something wrong, scout?” The head alpha asks. The scout shakes his head and sniffs the air again.

“The scent by the conjoined trees,” he says carefully, turning around to scan the room. “It is here.”

“What do you mean?” Minseok asks, his eyes narrowing. The scout sniffs again.

“It is on Baekhyun,” he says, his gaze pointing directly towards the omega.

Baekhyun stiffens against his papa as all eyes turn towards him. His father is up in a split second and sniffing at him, the distinct scent of Chanyeol still on him.

“It wasn’t him!” Baekhyun defends with a cry, without even being accused as he backs away from his father. “I was with him all day! He didn’t kill anyone!”

“You were with an alpha all day?” His father questions. “Someone who was not from our pack or even familiar to us?” Baekhyun doesn’t deny it.

“It wasn’t him!” He repeats. “Send Sehun and Yifan back! They don’t have the right wolf!”

“Is this what you have been doing these past few weeks?” his father questions. “I know you’ve been off quite often but I was under the impression you were at the river or frolicking in the fields, not socializing with some strange alpha who is a danger to yourself and the pack.”

“He is not dangerous,” Baekhyun shakes his head in defense. “He’s from the Moon pack. He’s not an Oak or harmful to us.”

“An alpha from the Moons might as well be an alpha from the Oaks,” his father says harshly. “They’re all the same bunch. He could be lying to you too, Baekhyun. Just how much information did you give him about us?”

“He’s not lying,” Baekhyun insists, his breathing heavy and tears welling in his eyes. It’s all a little too much right now. “He is a good alpha and he would never hurt anyone like that. He was with me all day. There’s no way he could’ve killed someone. You have the wrong wolf.”

“Baekhyun, sweet-” his papa tries to touch his shoulder.

“He isn’t a bad wolf!” Baekhyun yells. “He’s Chanyeol! I’ve been with Chanyeol this whole time!” The hut is quiet at Baekhyun’s outburst.

“Chanyeol?” His father repeats. “This alpha is telling you that he’s Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun nods, trying to sniffle back a tear.

“How do you know that is the truth?” His father asks. “How do you know he is not lying? For all we know, Chanyeol could be dead. He could have died in the last six cycles. He could be off with the Oaks or some other pack too.”

“He’s not lying to me,” Baekhyun holds himself back from shrieking. “It’s Chanyeol. I would recognize him anywhere.”

“Minseok, escort your brother to his hut tonight,” His father says assertively. “He’s been out for far too long today. A good night’s rest would do him well.”

“Yes, father,” Minseok nods, moving forward to hold onto Baekhyun. He grabs Baekhyun’s elbow gently and tugs him out of the hut.

“Wait!” Baekhyun says, “What about Chanyeol? You’re going to call off the hunt right?”

“There is a strange alpha amidst us and the scouts are ordered to find him,” their father says. “I will not rescind that order.”

“You have to,” Baekhyun begs desperately, trying to tear away from Minseok. “He didn’t do anything. Chanyeol’s innocent,” he relays in a series of short breaths.

“Take your brother away, Minseok,” the head alpha says, “We have things to discuss here.”

“No,” Baekhyun pleads, trying to break free from Minseok’s grip. But Minseok is stronger than him and he’s being dragged out of his parent’s hut and into his. He’s expecting Minseok to toss him onto the ground but instead the alpha sits him down on a stool and rubs his trembling shoulders. Baekhyun grabs Minseok’s hands.

“Can’t you stop them, Minseok?” he asks, tears already running down his face as he tries to control his sobs. “Please? Go after them and tell them it’s the wrong wolf. Don’t let Chanyeol get hurt. He’s done nothing wrong.”

“Sehun and Yifan are probably already close,” Minseok says. “There’s nothing I can do. If that wolf is really Chanyeol and he’s as good as an alpha you say he is, he’ll be able to hold his own.”

“Against both Sehun and Yifan?” Baekhyun snaps back, frustrated. He knows that Chanyeol is a great fighter but just him against Sehun and Yifan and possibly Jongin too is nearly impossible.

“He didn’t do anything, Minseok!” Baekhyun yells. “He doesn’t deserve to be attacked out of nowhere just like that Moon omega didn’t deserve to die!”

“Baek,” Minseok sighs.

“Don’t _Baek_ me,” Baekhyun mimics him. “You told me you wanted to bring the packs closer but right now war is the only solution you can think of?”

“It’s more complicated than that!” Minseok tells him. “They aren’t going to kill Chanyeol, just bring him down and drag him back here. Then the talks can begin.”

“You are all awful,” Baekhyun says, wiping his tears away with his hands. “Sun, Moon, or Oak all of you are the same.”

“Don’t say that, Baek,” Minseok bends down to rub his head.

“If he gets hurt, I will never ever forgive you,” Baekhyun says. “I _love_ him, Minseok. I can’t let go of him.”

“Baek-” Minseok starts again.

“Alpha Minseok,” another scout interrupts, opening the door. “They’ve lost the trail.”

Baekhyun doesn’t think he’s ever been able to breathe clearer at the sound of that news.

“Sehun is requesting that you join them to revive it,” the scout continues.

“My father has approved?” Minseok asks, standing up and straightening his posture.

“Yes,” the scout nods. “They want the trail picked up as quickly as possible.”

“And Baekhyun?” Minseok looks at his brother.

“Your father trusts that Baekhyun knows what’s best for him and will retire for the night,” the scout says, looking the omega in the eyes.

“Very well then, I’ll join them,” Minseok says. He gives Baekhyun one last glance and then he leaves with the scout. Baekhyun only waits five minutes until he bolts.

He avoids the remaining scouts and makes his way to the river. His brothers and the scouts went the other direction where the conjoined tree was but if Baekhyun ran to the pool first and used that way to get to Chanyeol, he would reach first. He wastes no time in sprinting towards Chanyeol. It’s the fastest he’s ran in his life and he can feel his lungs exhausting and his heart pounding so hard but he needs to get to Chanyeol. Usually it takes him forty-five minutes to an hour to get to the pool but this time it only takes him twenty-five minutes. The pool, even under the moonlight looks untouched and serene and he feels a sense of relief that the scouts haven’t found this place yet. Then he’s retracing his way back to Chanyeol’s hut.

When he finally sees the familiar hut with a lantern warming up the inside, he bursts into tears as he uses the last of his energy to run up to the hut and bang on the door, screaming Chanyeol’s name. The alpha opens it after a few bangs and Baekhyun falls into him, sobbing incoherently.

“What happened?” Chanyeol asks, concerned as he gathers Baekhyun into his arms and wipes away his tears with his thumbs.

“My b-brothers are c-coming after you,” Baekhyun reveals in broken breaths. “A Moon omega died on our territory and they caught the scent of an unfamiliar alpha and they’re after him. It was your scent they found, Chanyeol. They’re headed here right now.”

“A Moon omega died?” Chanyeol asks, his tone saddened.

“They say that a war is starting,” Baekhyun continues to cry, although he’s trying to calm himself down. “If your pack attacks then father and Minseok won’t hold back either. Minseok says he’ll kill you if that’s what he has to do.” The thought just makes Baekhyun sob all over again.

“I won’t let him kill me,” Chanyeol reassures him, holding him tighter.

“But you can’t kill him either,” Baekhyun says, burying himself into Chanyeol.

“Does my pack know?” Chanyeol asks.

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun shakes his head. “But they won’t be happy when they find out.”

“They’ll think a Sun wolf did it,” Chanyeol states.

“But we didn’t,” Baekhyun says. “We would never harm an innocent omega.”

“I believe you,” Chanyeol says, tilting Baekhyun’s chin up. “But we need to tell my pack. They need to know what’s happening. Otherwise this whole thing will just be one big miscommunication and things could end up worse than they should be.”

“You’re going back?” Baekhyun asks.

“I have to,” Chanyeol says. “Will you come with me?”

“To your pack?” Baekhyun is taken aback.

“It will be more believable with you there,” Chanyeol says. “And I can’t let you return back to your pack with a bunch of alphas on the loose. It was dangerous of you to even come and find me.”

“I couldn’t not warn you,” Baekhyun says.

“You think I couldn’t hold myself against a few alphas?” Chanyeol pouts.

“You don’t know my brothers,” Baekhyun says. “If Sehun and Jongin are out for blood, they’ll get it.”

“We should get going,” Chanyeol says, “before your pack finds us. The sooner we get to my pack, the better.” Baekhyun nods and Chanyeol takes his hand in his. The path to the Moon territory is unfamiliar to Baekhyun. They’re just across the river from his home but the soil here is softer and the rocks are more rounded than ragged. Baekhyun doesn’t even know how long it takes them to reach the edge of the Moon village because all he can focus on is the feel of Chanyeol’s hand in his and the sound of wolves howling in the night.

When they arrive in the village, Baekhyun suddenly realizes that he is very much an outsider here. He pushes himself close to Chanyeol and tries to make himself smaller. A small crowd of wolves begin to surround them, curious about the wolf that smells like a Moon packmate and the Sun omega.

“Chanyeol,” a big alpha says, stepping into the center of the crowd. He’s just as tall as Chanyeol and his voice is stern.

“Father,” Chanyeol greets him with a bowed head. Baekhyun stiffens a bit but Chanyeol doesn’t let go of him.

“Why are you back?” the head alpha asks him, “and with the company of a Sun omega?” There’s a sudden gasp as people realize who the new alpha standing in front of them is. Chanyeol was right when he said he hasn’t returned home in six sun cycles.

“I take it you’ve heard of the Moon omega found on Sun territory,” Chanyeol says. The head alpha’s face hardens.

“Who told you?” he asks, his eyes flickering over to Baekhyun.

“He did,” Chanyeol said, holding up his intertwined hands with Baekhyun. “He is the son of the Sun’s head alpha. He came to warn me.”

“And you can trust him?” Seungho asks, mild disgust in his glances at Baekhyun.

“I’ve been seeing him every day for a few months now,” Chanyeol admits, looking fondly at Baekhyun. “I trust him with my life. He warned me of his brothers coming after me.”

“Sun wolves are breaching Moon territory?” Seungho asks, the anger present in his voice.

“They are after the wolf that killed the omega,” Chanyeol says. “My scent was near the Sun territory because I walked Baekhyun that direction earlier today.”

“It is highly likely that a Sun wolf killed Miyeon and you bring one here to our territory?” Seungho presses, staring hard at Baekhyun.

“We didn’t,” Baekhyun says quietly, “We would never kill an innocent omega. It’s upsetting that she was found on our territory but it was not us.”

“I would expect a son of Byungjun to say that,” Seungho snarls. Chanyeol’s mother touches his arm gently to calm him down.

“We really wouldn’t,” Baekhyun says. “It goes against everything we believe in as a pack.”

“Until the murderer shows up at my doorstep and has concrete proof that he was the one who killed Miyeon, we have very right to believe it was a Sun wolf,” Seungho says.

“Father-” Chanyeol starts.

“I understand you were lonely, son, but to seek comfort in the arms of Sun omega?” Seungho asks, disdain in his voice. “I am sure that I have taught you better than that.”

“He isn’t a bad person,” Chanyeol defends, a low growl growing in his throat. He’s pushing Baekhyun behind him carefully. “They aren’t bad people. This entire feud is just one big misunderstanding!”

“You know nothing of our history with the Sun wolves,” His father says. “Maybe it was my mistake for keeping you away for so long. Had I known a Sun omega would have tricked you into having feelings for him, I would have sent you home many cycles ago.”

“Baekhyun is-” Chanyeol continues to argue back hotheadedly. He never gets to finish his sentence though because two Moon scouts burst through the trees, in their wolf forms and panting heavily. One of them shifts quickly before he begins to speak, fast and uninterrupted.

“The Sun wolves are on their way here,” he pants out. “They are charging from their territory and from east of our territory. All are shifted and our scouts were sorely outnumbered so we retreated. We should brace ourselves for an attack immediately.” Baekhyun freezes as Seungho begins to bark out orders and everyone around him begins to move frantically and frenzied. He squeezes Chanyeol’s shirt in his hand and the alpha turns around, eyes flickering worriedly.

“What do we do?” Baekhyun asks, afraid of what is to come. He doesn’t know if he should be with Chanyeol or joining his brothers. He doesn’t want anyone to get hurt but he has no control over that either.

“I don’t know, love,” Chanyeol says, holding Baekhyun’s shoulders in his arms. “I-”

A round of howls breaks through the sky and most of the moon wolves flinch in their spot. The Sun pack is closer than they thought. It is only a matter of seconds until they arrive. Seungho has all of his alphas and beta scouts lined up and shifted, ready to fend off any Sun wolf that attacks first. Everyone else has retreated into safety.

A single brown wolf breaks through the trees first. It’s Jongin. Baekhyun would know that chocolate brown coat anywhere. He’s brimming with energy despite his long run and his fangs flash as he snarls, scanning the line of Moon alphas. Then he catches sight of Baekhyun, still clinging onto Chanyeol, and he charges. Chanyeol breaks away from Baekhyun and before the omega can even comprehend what is happening, the alpha has shifted and he and Jongin are meeting with a clash of fangs, white slamming into brown.

It’s a mad rush after that. The rest of the Sun wolves have arrived and after seeing Jongin in a heated brawl with Chanyeol, they wasted no time in their own attack. Chanyeol and Jongin are equally matched. Although the Moon alpha is bigger than the Sun alpha, Jongin is the one with experience. Out of the corner of his eye, Baekhyun sees a granite coat flash by near. It’s Minseok and Baekhyun begins to panic for an entirely different reason. The gray wolf is charging towards their direction and Baekhyun wants to scream at him to stop. Chanyeol stands no chance against both Jongin and Minseok and his brother said that he would kill Chanyeol when the time comes. Baekhyun can’t let that happen. To his surprise though, Minseok completely ignores the two alphas and is bounded right towards him, shifting back into his human form and grabbing Baekhyun by the wrist.

“Let’s go,” Minseok says, tone leaving no room for argument. Baekhyun holds back though, his eyes searching for Chanyeol. He’s still fighting it out with Jongin. Both of them have bite marks flanking their necks, blood starting to draw from them. The red looks more heartbreaking on Chanyeol’s white fur than it does on Jongin’s brown.

“Minseok, I can’t leave him,” Baekhyun cries, wanting nothing more than to break Chanyeol and Jongin apart and end this whole thing. “I can’t.”

“Baekhyun,” Minseok stresses, his entire body language looking both frustrated and annoyed. “I need to get you to safety and the middle of an alpha battleground is not safe. If anything were to happen to you, it would really be the outbreak of an unforgettable war.”

“There would be no war if both sides would just sit down and listen!” Baekhyun speaks out, ripping his wrist away from Minseok. “I don’t even understand why you guys attacked first when you told me you wanted to talk with them first! Chanyeol was going to talk with his father but then Jongin came bursting in, looking like a blood thirsty lunatic and now everything is _this_!” Baekhyun gestures to the mess around them. There doesn’t seem to have been any casualties yet but everyone is tense and on edge.

“It’s more complicated than _this_ -” Minseok starts to defend but a lone, pained howl cracks through the air and everyone freezes. Baekhyun feels his blood run cold as he whips around and searches for Chanyeol. Instead he finds Jongin, shifted back into his human form on a bed of grass and breathing shallowly. There’s a deep gash on the side of his stomach and blood is staining his hands from where he’s holding the wound. Chanyeol’s white wolf is hovering over him. Baekhyun runs and Minseok follows. The omega is on his knees, Jongin’s head cradled in his lap as he lightly slaps the side of Jongin’s face to wake him up.

“Jongin?” he asks desperately as he shakes his brother. He can feel himself crying but he ignores it, trying to wake Jongin up. The alpha is still breathing but it’s slow and he’s unconscious. Sehun and Yifan slide in beside him, touching Jongin’s face too, trying to wrap his wound in something to stop the bleeding. Before they know it, a crowd has circled around them. Baekhyun can smell his father, livid and burning but he pushes that thought aside.

“Call a healer,” Seungho commands his pack. Baekhyun can’t stop crying and Yifan has to pull him away so that Minseok can take over, so that Minseok can properly send him off if need be. Sehun is more stoic than ever as he presses against Jongin’s gash tightly. His hands are dyed red and sticky from the blood but he doesn’t let go. The faint scent of lavender pushes through the crowd and Joonmyeon breaks through with a few other healers.

The Moon omega touches Sehun gently to move him but the alpha doesn’t budge. Joonmyeon sits down next to him and softly slides his hands underneath Sehun’s, removing the alpha. Sehun sits there unmoving as Joonmyeon takes a roll of gauze to wrap Jongin up. The alpha is then carried away to the Moon’s healing hut.

“Minseok, follow,” their father commands and Minseok is gone towards the Moon hut too. It’s hollowly silent around the two packs as the evening wind whips through the air. It feels like death has already arrived. Baekhyun’s eyes glaze over the other wolves still looking at Jongin’s pool of blood, until he falls on Chanyeol. The alpha has shifted too but he’s sitting on a log, his face buried into his hands as his hair falls over. Baekhyun can sense the ultimate sense of regret and remorse rolling off of Chanyeol. He wants to walk over to him and hold him and comfort him and be comforted by him.

“If my son dies today, one of yours is joining him,” Baekhyun’s father growls out at Seungho, walking towards him so they are directly facing each other.

“He instigated the attack,” Seungho says back. “I will be remorseful but I will not accept the blame.”

This starts another round of heated arguments as both head alphas begin to sling verbal attacks at each other, neither letting the other speak as they begin to talk over each other. Baekhyun gets up and walks over to Chanyeol, sitting next to him and rubbing his cheek against the alpha’s hunched back, holding Chanyeol and trying to comfort him. Chanyeol is crying. Baekhyun can feel the light sobs shuddering through his body and Baekhyun noses against his neck to get his attention. The alpha refuses to look up though and all Baekhyun can do is sit by him. He feels the weird glances fall on him. He really shouldn’t be comforting the wolf that may be in charge of his brother’s death but Baekhyun cannot hold himself back. He loves Jongin dearly but he also loves Chanyeol too. He knows that Chanyeol had not meant to injure Jongin that way. Things had gotten out of hand and were unpredictable. If Jongin really did die today, he would need space away from Chanyeol but he doesn’t think he could be away from him forever. Losing both Jongin and Chanyeol would be too much for him.

“None of this would have happened if your _runt_ didn’t steal my son away!” Byungjun screams out, his glare landing on Chanyeol and narrowing even more when he saw Baekhyun next to him.

“Maybe if you raised your son not be a temptress none of this would have happened,” Seungho fires back hotly. Anyone could tell that another physical fight was on the verge of breaking out and Baekhyun couldn’t let that happen.

“Stop!” he yells out, standing up and walking in between his father and Chanyeol’s. “Just stop already,” he pleads hoarsely with his father. “Chanyeol didn’t steal me, father. I left to warn him. I couldn’t let Sehun and Yifan hurt him. Please, father, stop this madness now.”

“He’s nearly killed your brother,” Byungjun seethes, glaring at Chanyeol again.

“You told Minseok to kill him,” Baekhyun says. “We are all the same here.”

“You’re going to forgive him if Jongin dies?” Byungjun asks. Baekhyun swallows hard, his eyes blinking tears.

“In time I feel like I would,” he answers honestly. “Jongin could have very well killed him today too and I eventually would have forgiven him for that.”

“He’s turned you insane,” Byungjun says in disbelief. Baekhyun shakes his head, holding onto his father’s arm lightly.

“Please, father,” Baekhyun begs. “Let’s just calm down for the night. If you’re still upset in the morning then start a full-blown war by all means. If that is your choice then I’ll be long gone by that time.”

Byungjun stares at his son, an unreadable look on his face as he thinks long and hard about his next move. Baekhyun stares back at him, eyes still pleading and desperate to stop everything for at least the rest of the night.

“We do not leave Jongin,” Byungjun says. “We will camp in the woods tonight and take Jongin back home tomorrow no matter what happens.” He turns around to walk into the woods, the rest of his pack following him.

“Baekhyun, come,” his father barks out, sensing his hesitation. Baekhyun takes one last look at Chanyeol, whose mother is now with him on the log, before he trails behind his pack mates. Maybe space is what they both need right now.

Sehun hasn’t spoken a word since they’ve found a spot near the Moon village to rest at for the night. All the huts are still in plain sight and Minseok and Yifan are with Jongin in case the Moon pack tries to pull anything funny. Most of the Sun alphas are sleeping but some are still up, going over things with Byungjun and trying to get Sehun to do something. Sehun isn’t budging though, his hands still stained with Jongin’s blood and Baekhyun cuddles up next to him, trying to warm him up.

It’s the presence of other omegas and betas in the woods that makes everyone flinch. Some Moon wolves have brought trays with bowls of soup on them. They’re a little hesitant and cautious but they politely hand over the trays. Kyungsoo is the one to give his tray to Sehun and Baekhyun.

“How do I know it’s not poisoned?” Sehun scoffs for the first time that night, pushing the tray away harshly. A little of the soup splatters out of the bowl and onto the tray and Kyungsoo looks offended.

“If I wanted to kill you, I’d do it directly, not by poisoning you,” Kyungsoo scoffs back, setting the tray on the ground. He turns to stomp back to the village but not before turning around.  
“We aren’t savages like your pack,” he says with a glare. “Mom told us not let you guys go hungry so you should at least be appreciative of her kind gesture. If it were up to me you wouldn’t even still be in this part of our woods.” Kyungsoo is definitely Seungho’s son.

“How is Jongin?” Baekhyun asks.

“Breathing,” Kyungsoo answers shortly. “Joonmyeon is taking care of him and your two alphas are making sure no one else even gets a look at him. We aren’t going to kill him, you know?”

“And Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks, a little more hesitantly this time. Sehun scoffs at the name and picks up a bowl of soup, shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth. It seems like the possibility of being poisoned to him is more pleasing than hearing about the alpha who almost killed his brother.

“He’s a mess,” Kyungsoo says more quietly. “Father gave him a good yelling and mom is with him right now. I don’t know what happened between you two but you have impacted my brother greatly.” Baekhyun feels his nerves settle a bit, knowing that Chanyeol will be okay with his mother.

“Thank you for the updates and for the soup,” he nods, picking up his own bowl.

“As soon as Jongin is more steady, Joonmyeon and the other healers will be out here to tend to the rest of you,” Kyungsoo says. Baekhyun nods again, letting Kyungsoo go this time.

The sight of Joonmyeon and his healers a few hours later make Baekhyun’s heart feel a little lighter. It means that Jongin is okay. He’s going to make it. The night is no longer young and many of the wolves are deep asleep now so Baekhyun really appreciates Joonmyeon and his healers coming to check up on them.

There are no severe injuries that need to be attended to right away so Joonmyeon leaves them a healing salve and a roll of bandages to be used in the morning when they’re all awake. The Moon omega spots Sehun’s hands, still faded red with blood but he leaves with the rest of his healers. Baekhyun leans against the tree trunk he and Sehun are sharing. Sehun is finally sleeping and Baekhyun closes his eyes too. The rustle of grass a few minutes later causes him to open his eyes again and he sees Joonmyeon with a bowl this time. He feigns sleep but silently watches as Joonmyeon carefully approaches them again and sits down on the forest floor, setting the bowl gently down in a nest of roots. He has a washcloth too and he dips it into the bowl before reaching for Sehun’s hands. The alpha stirs at this and wakes up. Baekhyun is expecting his brother to lash out at Joonmyeon the way he did to Kyungsoo.

“What are you doing?” Sehun asks, voice low and confused. Joonmyeon holds Sehun’s hands softly in his and begins to clean them with the cloth.

“Blood attracts mosquitoes,” Joonmyeon says calmly. “And sticky hands must not be comfortable for this long.”

“Leave it,” Sehun commands, trying to pull his hands away. Joonmyeon holds them firmly though and continues to wipe them with his cloth.

“Your brother would not like it if you were like this,” Joonmyeon tells him.

“How is he doing?” Sehun asks.

“He lost a lot of blood,” Joonmyeon answers honestly, “but he is starting the recovery process well. We are giving him plenty of nutrients and fluids. I think he’ll make it out with just a scar.”

“If Jongin doesn’t make it, I’ll kill Chanyeol myself,” Sehun tells Joonmyeon, a conviction in his voice.

“Please don’t,” Joonmyeon says quietly. “Chanyeol is my brother.”

“And Jongin is mine,” Sehun reminds him.

“I won’t let him die then,” Joonmyeon promises. Silence settles around them again as Joonmyeon continues to wash Sehun’s hands. Baekhyun is almost about to fall asleep once again when he hears Sehun speak once more.

“Are you really to be mated with the head alpha of the Oaks?” he asks quietly. Baekhyun hears the gentle sloshing of water before Joonmyeon answers.

“That is the plan, yes,” the omega says, tone a little tight.

“He already has a mate,” Sehun says.

“I know,” Joonmyeon sighs.

“He may not even be fertile anymore,” Sehun continues.

“That would be unfortunate,” Joonmyeon replies. Baekhyun shudders at the thought. To be in arranged mating with a much older alpha already sounds awful but to not even be given the comfort of cute, little pups to look after makes it even worse.

“Is this what you want?” Sehun asks boldly, already knowing the answer.

“I don’t have a choice,” Joonmyeon says defensively.

“You could run away,” Sehun tells him. “I’ll run with you. We could both go far away from here.”

“Don’t be foolish, Sehun,” Joonmyeon scolds him childishly.

“You know my name,” Sehun says, ignoring Joonmyeon’s reprimanding.

“Of course I know your name,” Joonmyeon says with a sigh. “You’re the youngest of Byungjun’s sons. The alpha wolf with fur the color of golden wheat.”

“Run away with me,” Sehun asks again. He really sounds like a naïve child and Baekhyun can’t help but feel bad for his brother.

“We can’t,” Joonmyeon says. “We don’t even know each other. We might not even be able to survive.”

“I know that I’ll treat you a hell of a lot better than some Oak alpha,” Sehun responds. “And honestly, I would rather die out there with you than live knowing you’re some alpha’s miserable bitch for the rest of your life.”

“Sehun, you aren’t thinking straight,” Joonmyeon says quietly, “Get some rest. A lot has happened today.” Joonmyeon stands up to leave but Sehun grabs him lightly, pulling him back down.

“What?” Joonmyeon asks, voice almost a whimper.

“Nothing,” Sehun lets him go. “Just, thank you for everything you’ve done.”

“It’s my responsibility,” Joonmyeon replies.

“Was it your responsibility to wash me too?” Sehun asks.

“No,” Joonmyeon shakes his head. “I did that because I wanted to.” Then the Moon omega is gone, following the trail of moonlight back to the village.

 

“Your son will be fine,” Chanyeol’s mom tells Byungjun the next morning. They had all decided that a confrontation between the two head alphas would not lead to anything productive so Youngmi was sent as the Moon pack’s representative. “He is stitched up and should be conscious within a few hours. My youngest, Kyungsoo is looking after him right now.”

“More like plotting to kill him,” Sehun mutters underneath his breath. Baekhyun elbows him gently.

“When he awakens, he is going home. Our own healers are more than capable of taking care of him,” Byungjun says.

“We do not wish for war,” Youngmi tells him. “I managed to have a conversation with alpha Minseok last night and what happened to Miyeon was very heartbreaking but we are willing to sit and listen to your talks and proceed from there. We wish for her body to be returned so we can give her a proper moon burial.”

“My wolves will retrieve her then,” Byungjun agrees. “But my sons stay with Jongin.”

“That is understandable,” Youngmi says. “We will notify you when Jongin awakens.” Baekhyun’s father and most of his wolves leave to head back to Sun territory. They need to prepare their own healers for Jongin’s return and to transport the Moon omega’s body safely across the river. Baekhyun worries about how his papa will react when he learns of what happened to Jongin.

“You may see him in the hut,” Youngmi tells them, breaking Baekhyun out of his thoughts. She gestures towards a large hut, where Yifan is still standing guard and he and Sehun make his way towards it. They open the flap and find Jongin lying down on a slightly raised bed. He’s still unconscious but the color has returned to his skin and the stitching on his side looks well done. Kyungsoo is sitting next to him but the omega is asleep, his arm stretched lightly over Jongin’s waist and his head lying on the injured side of Jongin.

“He’s going to kill him by suffocation,” Sehun whispers to Baekhyun. Joonmyeon and Jongdae enter in behind them and Sehun stills. Baekhyun recalls their private conversation last night and all of a sudden he feels very bad for listening in on it.

“It is refreshing to see Sun wolves in our part of the woods,” Jongdae chirps as he walks around them so they’re facing each other.

“Where is Minseok?” Sehun questions.

“He is resting,” Jongdae answers with a friendly smile. “The poor thing stayed by your brother’s side all night without a wink of sleep but I finally convinced him to let Kyungsoo keep an eye on him for a bit. Minseok is one strong alpha but he looks like a pup when he sleeps! I think it’s quite cute.”

“Your father won’t be happy hearing you talk about one of us that way,” Sehun says. Baekhyun remembers how Seungho had looked at him in disgust.

“It’s cute how you think my father can control me,” Jongdae smiles again.

“Well I wouldn’t know any better,” Sehun shrugs, “I thought your father called the shots on everything. It wouldn’t surprise me if you were carted off to an Oak too.” It’s a direct shot at Joonmyeon and Baekhyun can see the way the other omega winces.

“Where is Chanyeol?” he asks to break the immediate tension in the room. “I would like to see him, if you don’t mind.”

“Hiding like the runt he is,” Jongdae muses, looking at his fingernails.

“Don’t call him that,” Baekhyun warns.

“He was sent away to become a confident alpha,” Jongdae says, “but even now he still thinks hiding from the world is still the best solution.”

“Jongdae,” Joonmyeon reprimands him quietly from the side.

“It’s true,” Jongdae says defensively. “Chanyeol hides from everything.”

“He’s in our old nursing hut,” Joonmyeon tells Baekhyun, “I’ll show you the way. I think seeing you would be good for him right now.” Joonmyeon leads Baekhyun out and they begin to walk.

“How long have you been seeing my brother?” Joonmyeon asks him.

“A few months now,” Baekhyun answers. “I stumbled across him in the woods and things just happened.”

“And you like him? A lot?” Joonmyeon questions.

“I love him,” Baekhyun says. “I liked him when we were pups but now I love him.”

“A Sun wolf and a Moon wolf,” Joonmyeon says. “It could be good for both packs.”

“I think it would,” Baekhyun replies. “I think this entire feud is stupid and should end. We aren’t monsters and neither are you.”

“I think last night was a turning point for both packs,” Joonmyeon tells him. “It wasn’t a pretty beginning but if we all behaved civilly for just a few moments, we would be able to come to a more peaceful arrangement, especially since you and Chanyeol have plans on being together now.”

“If he still wants me,” Baekhyun sighs, feeling a little sad all of a sudden.

“Please don’t give up on him,” Joonmyeon says. “He had a hard childhood because he was small and weak and he might seem like a big, tough alpha now but I know his heart is still soft and he still gets hurt easily. He needs someone like you to support him and be there for him.”

They stop in front of a hut. It’s relatively small but Joonmyeon gestures for Baekhyun to go inside. He ducks in and finds Chanyeol’s back facing him. The alpha is too big for this hut and he’s scrunched up almost uncomfortably. Baekhyun walks over and crosses him, lying down too and snuggling up against Chanyeol so that they’re chest-to-chest, face-to-face. Chanyeol has his eyes closed but Baekhyun knows he’s not sleeping. He presses a soft kiss against the under side of Chanyeol’s chin instead and begins to stroke his white hair.

“Chanyeol,” he hums softly and tenderly, rubbing his head against the expanse of the alpha’s chest. “Please talk to me, love.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Chanyeol says, breaking his façade and trying to pull back from Baekhyun. The omega won’t have it though and holds Chanyeol tightly against him.

“Jongin is going to be okay,” Baekhyun tells him. “All he’ll have is a scar and the memories.”

“I could’ve killed him, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says remorsefully. “I could’ve killed your brother. My first night back in the village and I nearly murdered someone.”

“It was out of your control,” Baekhyun tells him. “Jongin did attack first and you were only defending yourself. I know you didn’t mean to hurt him that badly. My brother is an idiot sometimes and he gets hurt. This was just one of those situations.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if he died,” Chanyeol shakes his head.

“You’re right,” Baekhyun says, “I would be grieving and I probably wouldn’t be able to see you for a while but I could never hate you, Chanyeol. Last night, this entire situation is just all one big misunderstanding. Our fathers have hard hearts and stubborn minds but you, you and Minseok are not like that. You can be the change that both packs need to live without the resentment and rivalry.”

“You have too much faith in me,” Chanyeol says. “I do not believe that I will be able to do all of that for both packs.”

“You won’t be alone,” Baekhyun noses at him, “You’ll have me.”

“I don’t even deserve you,” Chanyeol chokes out.

“You do,” Baekhyun says, kissing his skin softly. “You do deserve me. You have done absolutely nothing to not have my affections. I once told myself that I was never going to let you go, Chanyeol and I will stick by my words. I am never letting you go.” Chanyeol is silent but Baekhyun continues to soothe him. They lay there for a while and Baekhyun can slowly feel Chanyeol begin to relax and loosen his tension.

“What would I do without you?” Chanyeol asks quietly, finally taking Baekhyun’s face into his hand and burying his head into Baekhyun’s soft hair.

“I don’t know, love,” Baekhyun chuckles. “But let’s not find that out.”

“I am ashamed to face my father and yours,” Chanyeol says.

“I’ll face them both for us,” Baekhyun tells him. “It might be intimidating but for us, for the future of the packs, I’ll do it.”

“Jongin will hate me forever,” Chanyeol says.

“He is an oaf and he’ll be impressed that you managed to pin him,” Baekhyun smiles. He knows Jongin and Jongin is tough but also amicable. He won’t hold it against Chanyeol forever.

“I love you so much that it terrifies me,” Chanyeol admits.

“I do too,” Baekhyun says, pressing himself close against Chanyeol. “I love you so much, Chanyeol. I would do anything for you.”

“It feels wrong for me to have you,” Chanyeol continues.

“Don’t say that,” Baekhyun frowns, “It makes me upset.”

“I don’t like making you upset,” Chanyeol frowns back.

“Then let us just be together,” Baekhyun says lovingly, scooting himself up so that he’s looking Chanyeol in the eyes. “Let us just love each other and not let anyone get in between.”

 

It’s later in the afternoon when the two of them finally leave the nursing hut together to go check up on Jongin. They are holding hands and do receive some odd glances from the Moon wolves but neither of them refuses to let go. It’s time for a change and Baekhyun and Chanyeol will be the start of it. As they near the healing hut, Kyungsoo stomps out of it, swearing underneath his breath and running his hands through his hair frustratedly. He barely acknowledges Baekhyun and Chanyeol as he walks away. The couple enters the hut and finds Jongin sitting upright, a smug grin on his face.

“You know, there are better ways to woo Kyungsoo than making him upset all the time,” Jongdae says. “You’ve been barely awake for half an hour and you’ve already managed to make him want to put you back in a coma.”

“I can’t help myself,” Jongin continues to grin. “His butt looks so cute when he stomps away like that. And I didn’t mean to make him upset. I just thought it was touching that he helped take care of me last night. He was the one who turned red and Sehun was the one who called him out on it.” Sehun just rolls his eyes at Jongin turning the blame back to him.

“You have your work cut out for you,” Jongdae chuckles, “Kyungsoo isn’t going to make your chase easy.”

“That’s fine,” Jongin grins even harder, “I like the work and if that cutie is waiting for me at the end of it, then every effort will be worth it.”

“How are you feeling?” Baekhyun asks, walking up to Jongin and squeezing his arm lightly.

“Not at one hundred but probably sixty,” Jongin answers. “I could really go for another nap right now but otherwise I’m fine. My side kind of hurts but that’s a given.”

“I-” Chanyeol starts out, hesitantly approaching Jongin, “I apologize for what happened last night. It was not my intention to injure you that badly.”

“It was either you or me buddy,” Jongin says, “And I heard that you had a weak immune system so let’s just say that I let you get to me for your own sake.” Chanyeol chuckles at that and Baekhyun smiles. It’s nice to see them getting along. Jongin must have realized how much the Moon wolves have done to take care of him last night.

“You’re good though,” Jongin compliments him, “From a runt to this, I’ll acknowledge that you have skills.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol rubs the back of his neck rather shyly.

“Baekhyun, you chose well,” Jongin says turning to face his brother. “I approve.”

“I didn’t need your approval anyway, brat,” Baekhyun pinches Jongin’s arm lightly.

“I am appreciative of it though,” Chanyeol adds at the end.

“He treats me better than you do, Baek!” Jongin says, pouting at his brother.

“Jongin, he almost killed you last night!” Sehun sighs, exasperated.

“And Baekhyun has nearly drowned me a dozen times in our childhood,” Jongin reminds them with a laugh. “It all becomes the same anyways. It takes more than a slash to the stomach to end me.”

“You are ridiculous,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes at Jongin’s words. It’s hard to believe that this was the one they were all so worried about last night.

“Whatever happened last night is past us now,” Minseok cuts in diplomatically like he always does. “Let’s start fresh today. We all seem to have the same goal of achieving a more peaceful agreement between both packs and I think we have a good start to it.”

“Our fathers stand no chance,” Jongdae smiles smugly.

“They won’t resist too much,” Sehun says, “The old men couldn’t even get into a proper fight last night.” Everyone laughs at Sehun’s words and Baekhyun feels a warm content spread though his body. This is nice, seeing his brothers and Chanyeol’s brothers get along. It gives him hope for the near future, that all members of both packs will be able to get together like this and just laugh.

 

 

~~~

 

 

“Jongin, stop!” Kyungsoo whines, pushing the alpha’s face away from him, an annoyed pout on his face as he crosses his arms. “Just because we’re mated now doesn’t mean you get to kiss me like that, especially in front of _everyone_ ,” he turns and stares at the crowd staring back at them. It’s the night of their mating ceremony and dinner has just been served. Both packs were crowded in Moon territory, mingling among each other. Three years have passed since Chanyeol and Minseok have taken over as head alphas and the packs have never gotten along better.

“But we’re _mated_!” Jongin whines back, nuzzling his nose against Kyungsoo’s. “I waited so long for this day!”

“I can’t believe I let you catch me,” Kyungsoo says, but his eyes are affectionate as he stares at Jongin.

“You wanted to be caught,” Jongin teases him. Kyungsoo laughs and leans against his new mate, allowing Jongin to kiss him just once on the cheek.

“They’re so cute together,” Baekhyun muses, turning to look at Chanyeol. The alpha has one of their sons balanced on his lap and the other one sitting on his shoulders. Both of their boys are gnawing on bones, soothing the ache of their growing teeth.

“It’s going to be interesting, having Jongin join the Moon pack,” Chanyeol says. “I feel like if he and Kyungsoo ever get into a fight, our whole village is going to burn down with them.” Baekhyun laughs at that. Jongin and Kyungsoo had been pushing and pulling with each other for nearly three years before the omega finally gave in.

“They love each other,” Baekhyun says. “They might pull at each other’s tails sometimes but my brother is so whipped. He’ll treat Kyungsoo really well.”

“Uncle Baekhyun,” a small girl tugs on Baekhyun’s shirt.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Baekhyun picks her up and balances her on his hip.

“I can’t find daddy or papa,” she pouts. She has Sehun’s blonde hair and Joonmyeon’s soft facial features.

“Daddy is resting in his hut and your papa is probably with him,” Baekhyun reminds her, gently tucking her hair behind her ear. “Your siblings are coming any day now and daddy needs as much as quiet time as he can get. Your papa is just a worry wart who can’t leave him alone.”

“They didn’t run away again?” she asks, a worried look on her face. Baekhyun chuckles at this.

“Oh sweetheart,” he holds her close. “They would take you with, if they ran away.” Shortly after Jongin was up and walking again, Sehun and Joonmyeon had run away from the packs together. The alliance with the Oaks was promptly called off and search parties were unsuccessfully sent after them. Nearly a year later, Sehun and Joonmyeon had returned to Sun territory with a pup in their arms. Now they were full time members of the Sun pack and living happily and healthily.

“How is my favorite girl doing?” Byungjun pops his head in.

“Grandpa!” she cheers reaching her arms out for him. “Daddy and papa are missing,” she tells him.

“Well you can just hang out with me and poppy then,” Byungjun pinches her nose affectionately. He had been livid when he heard Sehun had run away and was not accepting of him at all when he came back. It was Sehun’s sweet daughter that broke down his walls though and Baekhyun knew his father was a softy underneath the tough exterior but the little girl really brought out a different side of him.

“You want a daughter too, huh?” Chanyeol says, watching as Baekhyun’s eyes trail after his father and niece.

“She would be cute,” Baekhyun says, leaning against Chanyeol. Their youngest son reaches out for Baekhyun and the omega grabs him, cuddling him close. “But we should wait until these rascals are a little older.” He tickles the pup, who erupts in a fit of giggles.

“We might as well start on her now,” Chanyeol kisses the side of Baekhyun’s head. “Minseok and Jongdae’s pups are still small and Joonmyeon’s are due any day. Jongin and Kyungsoo are probably starting on their family soon too. If we plan it right, we can sync up with them and have our next litter around the same time. That way we can raise them all together. Get it done and over with it.”

“There’s going to be so many pups,” Baekhyun’s eyes widen. “They are going to drive us crazy.”

“It’ll be fun,” Chanyeol laughs. “It’ll be crazy but we can definitely handle it.”

“Should we try?” Baekhyun asks shyly, looking up at Chanyeol. “Or is this just an excuse to get me alone for a night?”

“I’m sure Jongdae doesn’t mind adding these two to his litter for a night,” Chanyeol says, swinging his boy down from his shoulders and onto his lap. “They like staying in Sun territory anyway. Minseok lets them get away with everything”

“I’ll ask Jongdae later then,” Baekhyun hums.

“Hey, Baek,” Chanyeol uses their son’s foot to poke his side.

“Yes?” Baekhyun asks turning to face Chanyeol.

“I really love you,” Chanyeol smiles, cupping Baekhyun’s cheek in one of his hands. “Like really, really love you.”

“Me too,” Baekhyun smiles back, leaning up to kiss Chanyeol lightly. “I really love you too.”


End file.
